Elements of an FMD strategy. As explained above, existing guidelines on the control of FMD focus the objective on elimination of the infection from zones, countries or specific domestic animal subpopulations within a country. Where that proves impossible for either technical and/or logistical/financial reasons, an alternative strategy obviously becomes necessary. Such an alternative is arguably necessary in the case of Zimbabwe because the traditional geographic approach has proven to be ineffective over the last approximately 15 years. Fortunately, new perspectives and approaches are potentially available that provide mechanisms that render non-geographic alternatives a practical possibility. These include compartmentalisation where biosecurity measures are applied to exclude the infection from integrated business enterprises that are able to maintain closed herds (e.g. dairy farms and piggeries) and a high level of biosecurity or management of FMD risk along commodity or product value chains, i.e. commodity-based trade. These are particularly apt when it comes to production of ‘safe’ beef (OIE, 2015b; Xxxxxxx et al., 2004; Xxxxx et al., 2010; Xxxxxxx et al., 2013b). The FMD problem also cannot be confined to considerations of animal agriculture because wildlife constitutes an unparalleled resource for most southern African countries, including Zimbabwe, as explained above. If SAT viruses in the southern African region could be eliminated relatively easily and cheaply without large-scale eradication of wildlife species that would be the obvious first choice. However, even in southern African countries that have managed to create zones free of infected buffalo and therefore FMD, such as Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, the long-term success rate is questionable as demonstrated by the fact that since 2001 South Africa’s FMD-free zone has been rendered inoperable by FMD outbreaks within the FMD-free zone on two separate occasions. These outbreaks brought exports of some commodities such as beef and mutton to a halt lasting three years in each case. The FMD-free zone has therefore been non-operational for 43% of the time since 2001. Additionally, Botswana has recently suspended its beef exports to EU markets resulting from buffalo incursion into its FMD-free zone. Only Namibia among southern African countries has been successful in operating its FMD-free zone on an uninterrupted, long-term basis. This is undoubtedly at least partly due to the fact that Namibia’s FMD- free zone is far ...
