Farmers voice concerns amidst lack of vets

MOSA MAOENG

MASERU – Lesotho faces a significant shortage of veterinarians, with a low number of veterinarians available to serve a large animal population, leading to a lack of veterinary services in some districts and concerns about animal health and in the long food chain – food safety.

Making matters worse, there is lack of interest from Basotho students to pursue veterinary professions. Some districts in Lesotho lack resident veterinarians and farmers depend on the Department of Livestock Laboratory services when they require assistance, with the only laboratory located in Maseru.

Veterinarians play a crucial role in animal health and welfare, public health protection, food security and international trade control. Moreover, Lesotho needs to implement an effective animal disease surveillance system and strengthen veterinary services to address the challenges posed by animal diseases.

Some of the farmers in the country facing lack of medication and doctors include those in the rural areas such as Qacha’s Nek, Thaba-Tseka and Mokhotlong to mention a few.

In an interview with Public Eye this week, Bobete Wool and Mohair Grower Association chairperson, Chesang Maanela, indicated that in Thaba-Tseka farmers face the challenge of lack of medication for their livestock in which they have to make sacrifices to buy medication. He mentioned that the same challenge is similar in terms of veterinarians because sometimes they do not have an idea what kind of disease their livestock may be suffering from then end up buying the wrong one since they are not experts.

Maanela further added that he does not remember the last time they received assistance from the ministry of agriculture in regard to vaccinations. He indicated that there used to be cooperatives for farmers but ended a long time ago of which were helpful noting that he highly recommends them for many farmers.

Teboho Tese, who is Chairperson Sky Light Wool and Mohair Association in Qacha’s Nek noted that in terms of lack of veterinarians in the country, farmers from Qacha’s Nek and Mokhotlong attended a meeting with the ministry in January this year with regard to vaccination supply – specially to curb animal scabies.

They received a positive outcome indicating that the ministry is on the verge of recruiting veterinarians. He said the only thing left is for those vets to be distributed to districts to commence work. Tese said they were quite impressed with the ministry for that.

He said in terms of medication, in the past there used to be resource centres with easy access to vaccines and vets in districts. These have vanished, he noted.

At the time, he added, people who had a clear understanding on livestock diseases were then just recruited to do the job.

Tese mentioned that, “Not only were vets gone but also laboratories for testing diseases were ended and the ministry even put an end to vehicles that used to distribute medical tools in districts. Now we buy our own medication and even go outside the country as far as Ladybrand, South Africa. No local medication hubs like before.”

Director Livestock Services Agriculture Ministry, Dr Keneuoe Lehloenya indicated that the ministry is on a process of hiring about four veterinarians.

These will be an addition where there is a shortage.

Dr Lehloenya indicated the said vets have gone past a psychometric interview to be followed by an interview from the Public Service then afterwards be distributed to the districts.

She said that there is need for a special dispensation in the country, to hire vets in a quicker way as diseases occur day after day.

The lack of vets is a serious matter to government. Government is aware of zoonotic and endemic diseases such as rabies that threaten lifestock she said adding “there were serious measures taken to fight those diseases”.

“Government has taken a step to buy vaccines for countrywide coverage. In 2019, the anthrax disease became a non-existence disease in the country because the government was consistence in distributing vaccines but then it re-appeared again due because the ministry had stopped distributing due to lack of transport. About four cases confirmed in Maseru, Leribe and Botha-Bothe.

“The government quickly took action to curb the disease,” said Lehloenya.

She highlighted that the ministry had bought vaccines amounting close to M6 million as a way of meeting farmers halfway. She further mentioned that critically, government fails to meet up to demands noting that because a lot of farmers are doing commercial farming, it is impossible to buy all the equipment they need.

She said they try as much as possible to assist such farmers where they see a challenge that needs a serious intervention.