FMD fence construction begins in ||Kharas

Construction of a veterinary cordon fence along the Orange River in the ||Kharas region has started, minister of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform Inge Zaamwani said on Sunday.

The region has been an epicentre for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) since the outbreak last month.

As of Friday, 17 farms are battling with FMD.

Zaamwani said the fence is expected to be completed within four months.

Zaamwani confirmed this during a two-day visit to the Karasburg Veterinary District on Friday and Saturday to assess measures put in place to control the outbreak.

She said construction of a separate containment zone fence is expected to begin this week, following the delivery of materials to the site.

Last week, Zaamwani said Namibia needs about N$200 million to strengthen its FMD containment measures.

This includes N$47 million for a proposed 290km disease-control fence stretching from Ariamsvlei through Karasburg to Ai-Ais.

On Saturday, Zaamwani, accompanied by ||Kharas governor Dawid Gertze and Karasburg East constituency councillor James Hawanga, visited high-risk areas along the Orange River.

The visit covered the area from Homerevier, where construction of the veterinary cordon fence is underway, to Velloorsdrift, where the fence is expected to end.

Zaamwani said discussions with farmers affected by the fence construction are nearing completion.

The delegation also travelled through the area where the outbreak was first detected before meeting affected farmers at Karasburg.

The meeting focused on farmers’ concerns and steps the ministry and farming community could take together to contain the disease.

Zaamwani visited the Directorate of Veterinary Services office at Karasburg to assess its readiness and check available supplies.

She later visited a campsite established for vaccination teams preparing to work in the affected areas.

According to the ministry, most vaccination teams had arrived by Saturday, while the remaining teams were expected on Sunday.

Vaccination is expected to begin once the ministry and other stakeholders agree on schedules.

On Friday, Zaamwani inspected roadblocks at strategic exit points and road junctions to assess whether officials had enough equipment and supplies to enforce livestock movement restrictions.

“I am glad I went on site. I am happy with what I saw,” Zaamwani said.

She praised officials for working around the clock to inspect and disinfect vehicles while treating travellers with respect.

Zaamwani acknowledged that roadblocks have caused long queues and delays, particularly during peak hours.

However, she said most travellers understand why the measures are necessary to prevent the disease from spreading.

She said the ministry plans to strengthen teams at the roadblocks by recruiting temporary workers, adding that the Karasburg constituency councillor will be approached to help identify young people who could be employed as casual workers to support operations.

Zaamwani warned officials against relaxing inspections and other control measures at night.

She said the same level of enforcement must continue throughout the day and night to prevent the movement of potentially infected animals and animal products.

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