A cattle farmer from Kavango West wants better ways to stop thieves. Winni Metzger runs 800 cattle and just lost 20 animals to theft. Criminals cut off the ear tags and put new ones on the stolen animals. The current tracking system does not work well enough. Metzger believes the government needs a stronger plan.
Botswana has a better system that shoots electronic chips into cattle's stomachs. The chips stay inside the animals until they reach slaughterhouses. Workers can scan the chips to find out who really possesses each animal. Thieves cannot remove these stomach chips like they do with ear tags. This method helps farmers recover their stolen cattle.
The agriculture ministry says stopping theft is not its job. Police handle crime prevention and catching thieves. The ministry tracks diseases and helps identify animals through vaccination records. Officials told farmers to create their own solutions for better theft protection. The ministry focuses on animal health rather than crime fighting.
Botswana has a better system that shoots electronic chips into cattle's stomachs. The chips stay inside the animals until they reach slaughterhouses. Workers can scan the chips to find out who really possesses each animal. Thieves cannot remove these stomach chips like they do with ear tags. This method helps farmers recover their stolen cattle.
The agriculture ministry says stopping theft is not its job. Police handle crime prevention and catching thieves. The ministry tracks diseases and helps identify animals through vaccination records. Officials told farmers to create their own solutions for better theft protection. The ministry focuses on animal health rather than crime fighting.
