Explain Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak in Chisamba – Ngoma
By Staff Reporter
Opposition United Party for National Development has challenged government to explain the break out of the Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) particularly in Chisamba area of Central Province.
In a statement UPND chairperson for Agriculture Food and Water Development, Levy Ngoma said the outbreak is suspected to have been caused by the introduction to the area of 18 buffaloes.
Ngoma claimed government corruptly allowed a farmer to move 18 buffaloes that could have been infected with the disease to a farm in Chisamba.
“The UPND is aware that three of the buffalos are the ones that were gifted to King Mswati of Swaziland and were quarantined in that Kingdom after they tested positive to FMD and later brought back to Zambia. As far as UPND is concerned, this is a national disaster and a crisis that has potential to negatively impact agriculture and tourism in the country and all this is because of the greed, impunity and the corruption of the PF leadership,” said Ngoma
“Chisamba is the heartbeat of the Zambian beef industry and the decision by the PF to move infected wildlife in an area heavily populated with commercial livestock is dreadful and unforgivable,” he said
He said farmers are already struggling due to the disastrous agriculture policies of the PF and this is being compounded by the dreaded outbreak of FMD.
“The UPND has since challenged government to deny their belief because if not, let government tell the nation where those buffalos that were brought back from Swaziland for testing positive to Foot and Mouth Disease, have been taken to,” he said.
“The party has also challenged the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Agriculture to immediately conduct a longitudinal study to ascertain the health and social consequences of the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Chisamba which if not urgently checked has potential to wreck the export of meat products,”
