Malawi activists concerned over unbanning of meat products

Malawi\’s Civil Society Agriculture Network (CISANET)’s Country coordinator, Victor Mhone, on Monday expressed concern over the government\’s decision to partially lift a ban on meat in southern Malawi’s Shire River valley where a foot and mouth outbreak has affected a small number of animals.

Mhone told journalists in Lilongwe that the ban was lifted at a time when government had no full information on the extent of the outbreak.

"The partial lift on the ban would set a bad precedence to farmers as well as traders. We need a total ban because the disease is costly and can have a negative impact on the country’s economy," he added.

A Malawi Veterinary Association (MVA) official, Grey Matita, said a recent diagnosis results by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Laboratory has confirmed that there was an outbreak of the disease in the country, especially in the valley.

\"Government should reinstate the ban and a full vaccination of animals should be effected, otherwise the country might lose animals as well as outside market,\" he said.

He said other countries could stop trading with Malawi and opt for other disease-free trade zones.

The government should quickly come in and spend within its resources to effectively control the disease, he added.