El Nino drives cattle slaughters up 3pc in second quarter

During the second quarter of 2024, formal cattle slaughters rose by 3,1 percent to 94,161 compared to 91 330 in the first quarter, according to data released by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion.

This increase also surpasses the 91,698 slaughters recorded during the same period in 2023.

The Ministry attributes the rise in slaughters to “The impact of El Niño-induced drought, which is forcing farmers to destock due to scarce pastures and water.”

Looking ahead, the Ministry said: “It expects formal cattle slaughters to continue rising in the third quarter of 2024, citing limited pastures and the non-availability of water” as the key drivers.

During the time under review, the beef carcass weight increased from 165kg to 179kg, and cattle mortality fell from 9 percent to 6 percent in 2021 and 2022.

“The prevalence of foot and mouth fell by 47 percent in 2021 and 39 percent in 2022 due to the government intervention of providing one kilogramme of tick – grease to each of the rural cattle owning households under the Rural Development 8.0,” the statement reads.

The Livestock Recovery and Growth Plan focused on improving nutrition, introducing better genetics and reducing debilitating diseases, capacitation of extension services, market and trade development and investment mobilisation to increase livestock numbers and quality.

While tick-borne diseases killed at least 500 000 cattle in the past five years, deaths from tick-borne diseases are now falling fast after several strategies launched by the government are taking effect and farmers are following the advice of veterinary experts.

According to the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF), 65 percent of the population derives its livelihood from crop farming and 40 percent from livestock production.

The country’s 2020-2025 livestock growth plan identifies livestock diseases as one of the key intervention points requiring urgent attention to correctly position the livestock sector for meaningful contribution to the national development strategy.

Besides the protection of breeding heifers and cows from slaughter, the government is also employing the use of artificial insemination to grow the national herd.-ebsinessweekl