August 17, 2022

 

South Africa battles against 116 active FMD outbreaks

 

 

South Africa is currently battling at least 116 active outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), said the country's agriculture, land reform and rural development minister, Thoko Didiza.

 

Meanwhile, local farmers are coming to terms with a 21-day nationwide ban on the movement of cattle.

 

Didiza said the ban was a desperate attempt to curb further spread of FMD, a serious and highly contagious animal disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.

 

According to a media release issued by Didiza's office, two new provinces and 15 properties tested positive for FMD in the last two weeks alone. Farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Free State are all currently battling the disease.

 

Didiza explained the details of the cattle movement ban which prohibits farmers from moving cattle from one property to another for a period of 21 days.

 

The ban, yet to be published in the Government Gazette, excludes cattle for direct slaughter at registered abattoirs and slaughtering for ritual purposes. Farmers will, however, first have to obtain a veterinary permit for this. The exemption does not include lobola negotiations.

 

"Cattle that are already at shows, auctions and en route into the republic will be given 48 hours to be permitted to move to final destination after being sold; the local state veterinary office should be contacted for these permits," said Didiza.

   

Didiza's spokesperson, Reggie Ngcobo, confirmed that Gauteng and Mpumalanga was FMD-free until recently.

 

"In the last two weeks they became infected because of the movement of cattle. We are investigating a case in which cattle were moved from North West to Gauteng, and another where cattle were moved from Gauteng to Mpumalanga," Ngcobo explained.

 

Meanwhile, industry players cautioned that the ban would cause major disruption in the normal business of many different sectors. For this reason, the current ban is only applicable to cattle, as the movement of cattle was identified as the main cause of the continued spread of the disease.

- Food For Mzansi