BMC resumes EU beef exports after a 12-day ban

Isaac Pinielo | Friday April 29, 2016 13:08

 

Beef exports to the European Union (EU) and trading partners were suspended following the spotting of a buffalo, which is considered to be the a carrier of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), at Moreane in Lotlhakane East, Southern District. The lifting of the ban means that BMC will resume beef exports to the EU, which had been suspended following the ban. BMC spokesperson, Brian Dioka told BusinessWeek that the commission has already started buying livestock from farmers that are meant to be slaughtered for the EU market.

“We are going to work very hard to increase our quota and make up for the days that the abattoir has been closed,” he said. The commission, whose Lobatse abattoir had seen a lull for the past two weeks, has been losing throughput of cattle that could have been slaughtered in the 12 days of closure.

During the ban, there was no slaughtering at the abattoir, meaning no sales to the EU. The BMC slaughters 600-650 animals per day.

Meanwhile, there was excitement in the beef industry this week as the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it completed all tests on the buffalo which proved negative of FMD, adding that the inspection of all cloven-hoofed animals also proved free of the disease.

“Therefore, slaughter facilities are now allowed to kill cloven-hoofed animals,” said the ministry in a statement.

It further stated that the search for the possibility of any buffalo has been called off following the extensive ground and aerial search that ruled out any presence of buffaloes in Zone 11.

“Everything will now get back to normal and we can now continue to sell our beef stew,” said a restaurant owner in Gaborone. It has been two weeks since the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) suspended the movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their products into, out of, and within the veterinary disease control Zone 11, which covers Kweneng, Kgatleng, Southern, Ramotswa and Tlokweng. The lifting of the ban came as a boon to the beef industry that was already experiencing distress and hardships as a result of the restrictions.

Butchery operators in the affected zone had started bearing the brunt of the ban as they were not allowed to slaughter or move cloven-hoofed animals and their products within the zone. Beef exports to the EU and other trading partners were also suspended resulting in the closure of the abattoir in Lobatse. Some consumers said the beef ban affected the prices of other products and that their shopping and eating habits had changed.

“The price of milk changed overnight while prices of meat has gone up to about P50.00 per kilogramme,” said Thabiso Monageng, a consumer in Lobatse.

Another shopper said there was no meat available at Phakalane Spar other than chicken and sausages, which were also sold at a high price.

Some butcheries in areas that were not affected by the restriction were also said to have taken advantage of the situation to increase the pricing of their beef due to the demand.