Veld fires are destroying pastures which is a threat to the country’s restocking exercise

DESPITE an increase in the national beef herd last season, vandalism of security infrastructure and the destruction of pastures due to uncontrolled veld fires continues to threaten cattle production in both the commercial and communal sectors, it has been learnt.
Statistics show that during the 2014/2015 season, the national beef cattle population increased from 5,4 million to 5,5 million, with more than 90 percent of the herd being held in the small scale sector.
In terms of pasture, despite being a drought year, it was a good year for cattle producers; however, in areas like Matabeleland, the drought and the lack of fodder affected farmers such that many would be forced to destock to avoid increased cattle mortality.
In beef production, high stock feed prices, broken fences (security) and uncontrolled veld fires undermined many cattle farmers.
“The main thing affecting the commercial cattle farming districts is a lack of security. Fences have been torn down and vandalised, no one respects land rights and cattle theft is endemic. Without security of tenure and assets you simply cannot farm cattle. For this reason, the herd on commercial farms is down from perhaps 2,7 million herd producing 600 000 slaughter stock a year to perhaps 600 000 herd producing 150 000 slaughter stock,” Bulawayo legislator Eddie Cross, a former manager for the Cold Storage Commission, now the Cold Storage Company (CSC), said.
“In the communal areas there are over five million herd of cattle but they only sell three percent of their herd a year, perhaps 150 000 herd for slaughter. The main problem in these areas is that there is no management of grazing, livestock numbers are excessive in terms of stocking capacity and the grazing is reduced to the level where hunger kills perhaps 400 000 herd a year at huge loss to the farmers and their families,” he added.
The vandalised security infrastructure on farms has also contributed to the spread of foot and mouth disease. The disease has been a major problem in the beef industry as the destruction of fencing makes the scourge endemic. In areas like Matabeleland, the beef industry was practically shut down by the disease.
The current outbreak which has its origins in the contact between wildlife and cattle as far back as 2010, is now driven primarily by cattle to cattle contact outside of the historical red zones.
Reports indicate that access to markets has been difficult for many rural producers where the spread of foot and mouth disease remains a challenge. The pressure on producers in search of better markets and grazing has resulted in considerable indiscipline in the movement of cattle and the country is at risk of facing a permanent presence of the disease across all its districts.
“The main problem with us being endemic for foot and mouth is that we cannot export to anywhere, but it is not a problem at present as we are producing insufficient cattle to meet local demand, about 300 000 slaughter stock a year yet we used to do double or triple that number,” Cross said.
The Veterinary Service Department is encouraging producers to import their own vaccine requirements because of poor stocks locally.
Restoring security of tenure and the rule of law in the commercial farming areas would allow for the replacing of the thousands of kilometres of fencing and gates that enable the proper control of the cattle. Even then the whole infrastructure needed such as roads, dip tanks and water systems would also be replaced.
“Once you have restored security of tenure and replaced security fences, you have to finance the cattle herds. Restocking a two million herd of cattle would cost US$1 billion, but no bank is capable of (funding) this exercise. Then you have to attend to the marketing function of the Cold Storage Company. It used to provide a national price. No matter where you farmed you got the same price. In communal areas the CSC provided a floor price which was the same as the price at the town abattoir. Transport was provided free and all of this is now no longer operating. The cattle industry simply cannot be rebuilt unless we restore the CSC to its former role,” Cross explained.
CSC had an annual export quota to the EU of 9 100 tonnes of beef. Exports to the bloc were suspended in August 2001 after an outbreak of the foot and mouth disease, a move that dealt a huge financial blow to the company.
In 2000, during the height of land invasions, the cattle population was at 6,8 million and has over the past 12 years plunged by almost a million, owing to a number of factors including poor farming methods.
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