While the government is currently grappling with sluggish economic growth and Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak, some key priority projects targeted at economic resuscitation, and strategic employment creation opportunities are on course, says Member of Parliament for Lobatse Mr Ka …
… Speaking during farmers consultative meeting on Monday, Ghanzi Farmers Association, Mr Quinton Barnes, decried that the current outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) had proven that financial reality of being a farmer in Botswana was disgruntling especially in cattle farming. …
… She stressed the need for member states to strengthen regional cooperation in tackling livestock diseases, particularly Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), which continues to affect trade, livelihoods and food security. …
Sunday Standard Beef industry remains in limbo Botswana’s beef industry is seeking answers as the closure of the Botswana Meat Commission’s (BMC) Lobatse abattoir stretches into months following the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), deepening concerns over farmer incomes, …
… In January 2025, the detection of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in a cattle herd in Botswana’s Zone 6b triggered ripples that reached far beyond farms and ranches. …
… Since the first detection of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in April 2026 at the Ramatlabama Artificial Insemination and Training Centre, the outbreak has spiraled rapidly, with 159 confirmed cases spreading across the Good Hope district to cattle handling facilities and feedlots n …
The Ngwaketse landboard must forge its legacy during the current Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) crisis by prioritising biosecurity, protecting veterinary buffer zones and slashing land allocation turnaround times to 48 hours. …
There is need for stronger regional cooperation in order to combat the escalating Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) crisis affecting the Southern Africa region. …
Botswana is currently battling a serious outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) that has spread across several parts of the country, placing pressure on the economy and livelihoods, says the Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti. …
Lobatse MP Kamal Jacobs says government priority projects for economic resuscitation and employment creation are progressing on schedule, citing the Milk Valley Farm expansion programme (expecting 200 cows from Brazil by June 2026), BMC and tannery upgrades, and meat value-addition facilities as examples advancing domestic production and reducing import reliance.
Lobatse MP Kamal Jacobs says government priority projects for economic resuscitation and employment creation are progressing on schedule, citing the Milk Valley Farm expansion programme (expecting 200 cows from Brazil by June 2026), BMC and tannery upgrades, and meat value-addition facilities as examples advancing domestic production and reducing import reliance.
Ghanzi farmers say government must deliver on promised liberalisation of the beef industry from Botswana Meat Commission monopoly to help them weather the current Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak and access regional markets. The policy was repealed by Parliament in 2019 but remains unimplemented.
SADC Deputy Executive Secretary Angèle Makombo N'Tumba called for urgent regional action to strengthen food security and agricultural systems amid global supply chain disruptions, climate change, and livestock diseases. She warned that Middle East conflicts have restricted agricultural input and petroleum product movements, while extreme weather threatens food and energy security across the region.
Botswana's beef industry is seeking answers as the closure of the Botswana Meat Commission's Lobatse abattoir stretches into months following an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, deepening concerns over farmer incomes, export earnings, and economic activity in the country's livestock heartland.
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) was detected on April 2 at the Ramatlabama National Artificial Insemination Laboratory, marking the first confirmed case in the border village of Mokatako in living memory. The detection has brought hardship to communal cattle farmers in southern districts who had expected to benefit from recent summer rains.
Foot and mouth disease detected in Botswana in January 2025 has led to suspension of beef export authorizations by the European Union, and the nation's loss of FMD-free status. The University of Botswana is described as developing a "quieter revolution" in response to the crisis, though specific details are cut off in the provided excerpt.
Botswana's beef export industry faces a P200 million loss following an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease detected in April 2026 at the Ramatlabama Artificial Insemination and Training Centre, with 159 confirmed cases spreading to the Good Hope district and cattle handling facilities near Lobatse, threatening the country's prized FMD-free status.
The Ngwaketse landboard chairperson has called for new land-use policies to address the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in the Southern region, proposing stricter biosecurity measures including protection of veterinary buffer zones and reducing land allocation turnaround times to 48 hours.
A Botswana minister said stronger regional cooperation is needed to combat an escalating Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in Southern Africa that has disrupted livestock trade and threatened livelihoods, highlighting the failure of isolated national responses to the transboundary disease.
Botswana is battling a serious Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak that has spread across several parts of the country, impacting beef exports and causing loss of access to the European Union market under the SADC–EU partnership agreement. The Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture says many households depend on cattle for income and food, and government is now working with private sector and faith-based organisations to develop a recovery plan.
Inflation averaged 4.1 percent in the first quarter of 2026, up from 2.7 percent in Q1 2025, driven by rising transport, food, and miscellaneous goods costs, with transport contributing 1.6 percentage points to the annual rate.
The Botswana Meat Commission has accelerated efforts to open new export markets in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, Greater Africa, and Asia while the EU maintains a beef suspension due to Foot and Mouth Disease. The acting CEO said the diversification strategy is designed to secure the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of Botswana's beef industry.
Parliament has called on government to urgently review and re-demarcate livestock zones as pressure mounts from recurring Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks.