By Amidu Kallon

After a confirmed report of consecutive deaths of cattle in Liberia, the government of Sierra Leone has placed a temporary ban on meat importation from its sister country, Liberia, and restricted the movement of livestock in the southeastern part of the country.

In a press release which is said to have come from the Ministry of Information and Communications, the government of Sierra Leone said the Ministry of Agriculture in Liberia has confirmed reports of clusters of dead cattle in some parts of the country.

The government further reported that around 36 cows were found dead on Thursday, July 6, 2023, at the cow fields along the Foya-Mendekorma Highway at Kalima Bundu Town four miles away from the border with Kailahun District.

As a result of that, while a team of coordinated intergovernmental animal health specialists are investigating the cause (s) of the death toll of cattle, the government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, has instituted the following:
1. Temporary ban of movement of livestock along Liberia and Sierra Leone border.
2. Prohibit the importation of meat and meat products from Liberia.
3. Restrict the movement of livestock from Kailahun, Kenema, and Pujehun to other districts in Sierra Leone
4. Temporary closure of livestock markets in Kailahun, Kenema, and Pujehun.
5. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and partners step-up surveillance in slaughterhouses, for sick animals and humans with signs and symptoms of anthrax in Kailahun, Kenema and Pujehun.