Namibia Needs More Funds to Combat FMD Outbreak in Livestock

Namibia estimates it needs far more money than it has already set aside to shield its livestock industry from an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that has plagued cloven-hoofed animals in neighboring South Africa.

The southwest African nation has allocated N$57 million ($3.6 million), just a fraction of the estimated N$1.5 billion it requires to protect its animals against the highly contagious disease, Agriculture Minister Inge Zaamwani told lawmakers Tuesday. The money will go toward strengthening border patrols, enhancing surveillance and setting up disease-control and buffer zones, said Zaamwani.