{"id":82046,"date":"2026-02-24T19:31:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T19:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/govt-urges-vigilance-as-fmd-restrictions-ease"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:38","slug":"govt-urges-vigilance-as-fmd-restrictions-ease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/govt-urges-vigilance-as-fmd-restrictions-ease","title":{"rendered":"Govt Urges Vigilance as FMD Restrictions Ease"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"ap-article-header-tag\"> <strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. <\/strong> <\/span><b>overnment has reinforced its call for vigilance and cooperation among farmers and the public as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) restrictions were eased in selected zones.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The call was made by Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti during a media tour of the Gaborone Multi-Species Abattoir recently. The minister\u2019s visit comes at a phase in Botswana\u2019s fight against FMD, which has disrupted livestock movement, slaughter operations and livelihoods across several districts.<\/p>\n<p>The outbreak prompted strict controls on animal transport and processing, measures that, while necessary, placed strain on farmers and related industries. Dr Dikoloti reiterated that following improved surveillance and comprehensive risk assessments, government had approved the controlled reopening of livestock movement and slaughter activities in selected areas.<\/p>\n<p>He said the reopening was subject to strict veterinary supervision, regulated payment systems and enhanced biosecurity protocols designed to prevent further spread of the disease.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are aware that our people are facing challenges due to FMD, but where restrictions have been lifted, we urge you to abide by the protocols, our export markets are watching us to see if indeed we are doing things accordingly, to the protocol, we are doing things according to the law,\u201d Dr Dikoloti said.<\/p>\n<p>Despite ongoing challenges, Dr Dikoloti reaffirmed that government remained cautiously optimistic, adding that with sustained cooperation from farmers, strengthened veterinary controls and responsible farming practices, they believe affected areas could recover and that Botswana\u2019s livestock sector would ultimately emerge stronger and more resilient.<\/p>\n<p>On the Gaborone Multi-Species Abattoir, he said it remained one of the country\u2019s critical livestock control points as authorities were seeking to balance disease containment with economic recovery in the livestock sector.<\/p>\n<p>For his part, permanent secretary in the ministry, Dr Mokganedi Mokopasetso emphasised the importance of adhering to quality assurance systems to protect both domestic and export markets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Minister is here to appreciate the facilities and the standards within them. It is important that we adhere to good quality assurance systems in our local and international markets,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Mokopasetso also issued stern warnings against illegal livestock movement, cautioning that non-compliance could undermine recovery efforts and further threaten livelihoods. He further said enforcement teams remained on high alert to curb unauthorised transport of animals from restricted zones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ap-article-footer-note\">Find more news and analyses on <span class=\"ap-highlight-country\">Botswana<\/span> on the <span class=\"ap-highlight-brand\">Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. overnment has reinforced its call for vigilance and cooperation among farmers and the public as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) restrictions were eased in selected zones. The call was made by Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti during a media tour of the Gaborone Multi-Species Abattoir recently. The minister\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":82045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-82046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Govt Urges Vigilance as FMD Restrictions Ease - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag&quot;&gt; Africa-Press - Botswana. overnment has reinforced it ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/govt-urges-vigilance-as-fmd-restrictions-ease\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Govt Urges Vigilance as FMD Restrictions Ease\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"-article-header-tag&quot;&gt; Africa-Press - 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