By Lloyd Phillips
Since the foot-and-mouth disease management area was declared on 26 July for the adjacent Kouga and Kou-Kamma local municipalities, no new cases have been reported in the Eastern Cape.
This is largely attributed to good cooperation between stakeholders in the state and the private sector, as well as farmers who adhered to livestock movement and other biosecurity measures.
The Department of Agriculture is “cautiously optimistic” that the main outbreaks of the disease in the two municipalities have been brought under control. It seems measures such as urgent quarantine, livestock movement control and vaccination are helping to curb the spread of the disease.
Since foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed in the Eastern Cape at the end of April, cases have been recorded on 32 farms in the Humansdorp district and one in the East London district. All susceptible livestock on affected farms have been vaccinated.
Livestock on another 37 farms have been preventively vaccinated to reduce the chances of further infections. A total of 96 906 cattle and 635 sheep have been vaccinated.
“The 70 infected and/or vaccinated farms remain under quarantine, and no live animals are allowed to move from these properties without state veterinary permission,” the department said in a recent statement.
Efforts to enable the safe slaughter of livestock from quarantine and vaccination zones are also reportedly gaining momentum. The department is considering applications from two abattoirs to be registered to process these categories of livestock.
From an inquiry by African Farming, it appears decisions on these applications are likely this week. Details of the successful applicant abattoirs and processes for handling livestock in the quarantine and vaccination zones are likely to be announced at the same time.
Brent McNamara, CEO of Agri Eastern Cape, says he cannot comment on price trends for slaughtered livestock from quarantine and vaccination areas.
The department’s statement said: “In addition to the control measures within the [disease management area], the July 2024 Government Gazette notice reminds livestock owners that cloven-hoofed livestock across South Africa may only be moved if accompanied by a health declaration from the owner attesting to the animals’ health at the time of their movement.
“Any cattle, sheep or goats newly introduced to a farm must be kept separate from the already resident herds and flocks for at least 28 days.”
