Online Reporter
Obert Chifamba
Agri-Insight
IN a world where livestock constitutes the lifeblood of communities, unsanctioned and furtive cattle movements not only threaten local economies but also pose significant risks to public health and environmental sustainability.
This analysis will try to explore the probable factors driving this epidemic and proffer possible ways of taming this vice, which has profound implications on agriculture, animal welfare and food security.
Just recently, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi spoke unequivocally about the dangers of unrestricted livestock movements involving categories such as cattle, sheep and goats.
In a two-minute, 16 seconds video clip, the police boss warned the public against unsanctioned cattle movements, saying they were fuelling stock theft given that most of them happen under the cover of darkness to escape public scrutiny.
It is obvious that the police are getting more concerned with each day that passes, as cases of stock theft keep on happening with thieves using the same modus operandi in the bulk of the cases.
This means that the general public may be deliberately ignoring the national regulations, for instance, where are cattle are involved.
Livestock trading has been happening since time immemorial, but communities then respected regulations and everything was done transparently. Today’s fast-moving world and its renaissance-influenced citizens have, however, changed everything and want to fast track all processes.
This has seen processes that used to involve three or so people getting side-stepped or having just one person doing everything, albeit, illicitly in most cases. The livestock sector has not been spared ,with a lot of ungodly things happening in the crop sector.
As part of efforts to curb these flourishing illicit activities in livestock trading, the Government has since instituted a raft of measures that limit animal movements.
A prospective cattle buyer, for example, has to go through the veterinary office, the police and local leadership with each of the said parties certifying the sale as above board.
To make the flow of business easy, cattle farmers have stock cards that bear details of the owner, the number of cattle, their gender and age. It is also on these stock cards that animals, which are either sold or deceased are recorded.
The veterinary department is there to ensure that animals being sold or moved to a different area do not have the potential to carry diseases with them. There are some diseases that warrant full bans on livestock movement, hence the need for veterinary specialists to be a part of the matrix.
Involving the police is a way of certifying that the deal is above board and animals involved in the transaction are not stolen.
Village heads are also expected to play a part given that they are the ones who stay with the citizens in the communities and have the history of their people and their livestock.
This done, the parties involved in the deal can then proceed to secure movement permits with the veterinary department or the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development if the agreement involves the transportation of carcasses or just meat.
From the police, the parties need to get the 392 form that is signed by all parties involved, including the village heads.
This form will indicate where the animal is going and coming from as well as the owner or seller and the buyer. The form will serve as some kind of pass that legitimises the movement.
Commissioner Nyathi also spoke against transporting cattle or other livestock at night, saying this made it difficult for law enforcement agents and citizens to flush out illegal activities.
Police now have powers to impound the animals being moved at night even if the people moving them have the required documents.
This is important to enable police to verify the following day whether the deal is legit or not. Once this is verified, the people in question can proceed with their journey.
What boggles the mind, however, is the continued recurrence of cases involving police arresting or detaining people for moving cattle at night or without the prerequisite paperwork, yet it is known that such actions violate regulations.
Maybe it is the due diligence that has to be done that many people find tedious or the processes are just too many and therefore frustrating.
If this is the case, then there may be need for some kind of one-stop-shop where people can just go and secure the necessary paperwork. In the event that some of the services may require people to part with some cash, then maybe the figures may need to be revised to affordable levels and not eat into the profits the seller and buyer may be envisaging. Remember these people trade in livestock for different socio-economic reasons.
This is not some effort to sanitise illicit cattle movements but just a push to make the playing field even. Under normal circumstances there would be no need for citizens to try and by-pass standing regulations unless there is something making it difficult for them to fully comply.
However, in the midst of this hullabaloo, it is the farmer who always comes out with a bruised ego. It does not require rocket science for anyone to appreciate that wherever short cuts are taken in the farming process; the result is always negative on the farmer.
This may be the point at which the Government may need to step in and tighten regulations, or even stiffen penalties to ensure those caught on the wrong side of the law will feel its full wrath.
Penalties for those caught moving cattle at night or without proper documents might need to be drastically reviewed upwards.
There should a traceable trail of paperwork from the source where the animal would have been obtained to its final destination.
This may also make it necessary for those running butcheries to make sure they do not accept undocumented meat or carcasses, lest they become accomplices to cattle rustling.
