MAZABUKA — Veterinary teams have vaccinated 180,000 cattle against foot-and-mouth disease in Southern Province as authorities work to lift beef export restrictions imposed after an outbreak near Mazabuka last October.
Department of Veterinary Services director Chitalu Chilufya said the campaign utilised mobile crush pens to reach pastoral communities in Namwala and Monze. Cold-chain logistics for vaccine storage posed challenges during ZESCO load-shedding, requiring generator backups at district depots.
Commercial ranchers welcomed the intervention, noting that export suspensions to Botswana and Zimbabwe cost the sector an estimated $8 million in lost revenue. Smallholder herders received subsidised vaccines under a World Bank livestock health project.
Traditional leaders in Namwala pledged to enforce movement controls until surveillance confirms no new cases. Meat processors in Lusaka said domestic supply remained stable, though prices rose briefly amid panic buying in December.
Officials expect the World Organisation for Animal Health to review Zambia’s status in August. Farmers urged construction of permanent quarantine facilities at border posts along the Livingstone-Kazungula corridor.
