Botswana calls for cross-border cooperation to contain FMD

Staff Writer

Botswana has called for stronger cross-border cooperation with Namibia to contain foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), warning that outbreaks threaten not only livestock production but also household incomes, businesses and regional trade.

Kealeboga Patrick Gaebuse, a councillor in Botswana’s Charleshill District, said disease-control measures must extend beyond veterinary services to include local authorities, traditional leaders, farmers’ associations and businesses affected by movement restrictions.

Speaking at the Bank Windhoek Agriculture Series 2026, Gaebuse said Botswana’s experience showed that FMD could have far-reaching economic consequences, even in areas where the disease had not been detected.

Charleshill District borders Namibia’s Omaheke Region, with the Mamuno border post on the Trans-Kalahari Corridor situated within the district.

Botswana recorded an outbreak in the north-east early in 2026, which spread to Zone 11 at Ramatlabama in April and later to Zone 13 in the Kgalagadi.

In Namibia, FMD was confirmed in the Karasburg district on 23 September. Although Charleshill remains free of the disease, restrictions imposed to contain the outbreak are affecting economic activity in the district.

Gaebuse said the ban on the movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their raw products was only the beginning of the economic disruption.

He said farmers continued to face expenses such as animal feed, wages and loan repayments despite losing access to markets.

The restrictions also affect transporters, traders, butcheries and informal food vendors, including kapana businesses.

Citing Namibia Agricultural Union president Thinus Pretorius, Gaebuse said FMD could destroy a farm financially even when it did not kill livestock.

He argued that protecting livestock through disease-control measures was inseparable from protecting livelihoods.

Gaebuse said the effectiveness of government restrictions depended on cooperation from farmers and affected communities.

He said farmers needed to understand the reasons behind movement restrictions, while permit systems should be accessible and information communicated through trusted community leaders.

He warned that farmers facing the prospect of losing their livelihoods when an animal tested positive could be tempted to conceal infections or illegally move sick animals.

Gaebuse proposed emergency relief and fair compensation as part of disease-control measures, arguing that support should be linked to disease reporting and proper record-keeping to encourage compliance.

Gaebuse called for cooperation between Botswana and Namibia to extend to border communities rather than being confined to national governments.

He proposed five measures to strengthen preparedness and disease control along the shared border.

These include establishing a direct alert system between veterinary offices on both sides of Mamuno, as well as a joint inspection and maintenance programme for the shared border fence.

He also proposed pre-agreed emergency vaccine reserves for border areas and common protocols to allow disease-free zones and compartments to continue trading safely.

A further proposal is the establishment of a cooperation forum between Charleshill District and the Omaheke Region, bringing together local authorities, traditional leaders and farmers’ associations.

Gaebuse said preparedness needed to begin before another outbreak, supporting calls by the Namibia Agricultural Union for the country to be divided into disease-control zones.

He warned that while an outbreak could begin with a single infected animal, its economic consequences could spread across households, businesses and national borders.

“Prevention costs millions, but outbreaks cost billions,” he said.