Cattle Production and Veterinary Care Systems in Zambia

This paper provides a review of the delivery of veterinary services in Zambia in response to the privatization and liberalization policies of the government. Historically veterinary services were provided free of charge, but this led to a deterioration of the effectiveness and coverage of the veterinary services to livestock farmers. In order to address this problem, the Agriculture Sector Investment Program, launched by the government in 1996, has redefined the roles and responsibilities of both the public and private sectors in the delivery of veterinary services. The role of the public sector is limited to regulation, control and monitoring, whilst implementation of the field activities is now the responsibility of the private sector. The authors look at the roles and responsibilities of these two sectors in relation to cattle production, since cattle are the most important livestock in Zambia.