Livestock |
The chicks worth
Sh12.5 million were impounded on Monday at Namanga Border Post in
Longido district, Arusha region, before being burnt on Tuesday.
Expressing his
concern, executive director of a non-governmental organisation, Tanzania
Animal Welfare Society (TAWESO) Dr Thomas Kahema suggested that there
were alternative was to curb outbreak of animal diseases such as bird
flu apart from burning the imported chicks.
According to him
the best option was to return the chicks to the primary owner, if the
reason was to really protect outbreak of diseases.
"The decision has
distorter image of the country to our neighbour, no one expected if that
would be possible," he told The Citizen.
Other concerns were from social media as many users expressed their concerns on the government decision.
The chicks were owned by Arusha-based businesswomen Mary Matia, who is in police custody.
On Tuesday,
Northern Zone veterinarian Obedi Nyasebwa said that the aim was to curb
outbreaks of animal diseases such as bird flu.The government banned chick importation in 2007.
"The chicks will be burned in accordance with Animal Diseases Act, 2003," he said.
Namanga Border Post
Tanzania Revenue Authority assistant manager Edwin Iwato said the owner
of the vehicle that carried the chicks would be fined.
Senior veterinarian
Medard Tarimo said complaints about chick smuggling had been rife.
"They are mostly smuggled at night hours, endangering the health of
Tanzanians since we know avian influenza has broken out in neighbouring
Uganda."
No comments:
Post a Comment