Livestock markets suspended in Ntcheu
Ntcheu District Council and the Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development (DAHLD) have suspended slaughtering of livestock and sale of meat products to control the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD).
A statement signed by district commissioner Smart Gwedemula shows that 79 cases were recorded from 34 kraals, a development that forced the council to put measures to control the spread of the disease.
cows in Neno recently
The statement indicates that new FMD cases have been reported in Nsipe Extension Planning Area headquarters which is eight kilometres away from the district where 35 out of 65 cattle are affected.
Some of the measures the council has put in place include temporarily banning slaughtering of livestock, restricting their movement and the movement of meat products.
The statement said Lizulu, Mlangeni, Tsangano Turnoff, Ntcheu Boma and Kampepuza are some of the notable markets affected by the ban.
DAHLD has since started vaccinating livestock against FMD on border sections of affected areas.
Among other interventions, the department is conducting awareness meetings with livestock farmers on the impact of FMD and strengthening surveillance to check the spread of the infection.
“In line with the Control of Animal Disease Act [cap 66:02], the public is urged to comply with this order to avoid further spread of the disease in question,” reads part of the statement. n
