Swazi hauliers gear up for cattle transport rush

MBABANE – Road freight operators are gearing up for an anticipated Great Swaziland Cattle Drive of 2015, which will employ trucks rather than herd boys to drive cattle cross country. Up to 200 000 cows may be taken to butcheries during the next months. “There are already too many cattle on the road, and road safety is really affected, so the cattle must be transported by vehicle or there will be disaster,” said Thulani Ndwandwe of Manzini’s veterinary office. Because of drought, winter grazing grounds have already been depleted, and government warns that 200 000 cows are at risk of perishing from malnutrition. The Ministry of Agriculture has issued a bulletin urging cattle owners to sell their stock to abattoirs, or lose them entirely. The Swaziland Meat Industry, the country’s main meat processing firm in the centrally located Matsapha industrial estate, has announced readiness to accept all cattle that come its way. Road transporters contacted by FTW say the supply of trailers specific to animal haulage is limited, such as ventilated possum belly, goose neck and pup trailers, but they will adapt their trailer stock if farmers heed the call to cull their herds.