The farmers unions have since called on government to hasten with innovations to contain the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), more especially in hunger-stricken areas.

National Union for Small Scale Farmers in Zambia (NUSSFZ) and Small Scale Famers Development Agency (SAFADA) said livestock was the only source of livelihood especially after experiencing a prolonged dry spell, especially in Southern Province

Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Nkandu Luo, on Thursday, lifted the ban of livestock movement in Eastern Province after the ministry contained the FMD.

NUSSFZ president Frank Kayula said it was prudent that the government puts up necessary measures to ensure that the deadly disease was contained so that farmers had a source of income to sustain their lives.

Dr Kayula said there was need for Government to ensure the ban on the livestock movement was lifted in areas where the hunger situation was worse.

 “People from there need help because we know that they don’t have maize and the next alternative they have is livestock. But if they cannot even sell the livestock they have, how are they going to survive?So we are appealing to emergency treatment of this disease so that people in these areas start selling their animals to sustain their lives,” Dr Kayula said.

However SAFADA president Boyd Moombye, urged Government to implement the vaccination exercise in the country to avoid recurrence of the deadly disease. He said climate change was real and that people needed to diversify, and move away from maize dependency, to avoid recurrence of FMD.