This warning comes from the Ruminant Veterinary Association of South Africa (Ruvasa) in its August report on animal diseases. It says that although there were fewer ticks in the preceding months, blue ticks still transmitted diseases in six provinces.
Ticks transmit diseases such as African and Asiatic redwater, anaplasmosis and lumpy skin disease, and Ruvasa warns farmers to ensure that blue ticks on their farms have not developed resistance to the substances used to control them.
Dr Faffa Malan, the Ruvasa manager who compiles the report, says veterinarians can test the degree of resistance and farmers should determine a vaccination programme with their veterinarians before the start of the rainy season.
He says diseases that need to be continuously controlled include brucellosis, trichomoniasis, vibriosis, cryptosporidiosis, as well as internal and external parasites. Farmers who are serious about controlling animal diseases are in many cases surrounded by farms where these types of diseases occur.
“It is extremely important that every farmer realises that biosecurity begins on their own farm. There must be control over access gates and border fences, and planning must be done in advance to prevent diseases from breaking out on the farm. Prevention is much better than cure, and particular attention must be paid to ensuring that vaccination programmes have been completed.”
He says internal parasites that have led to production losses and deaths among livestock were reported in most areas where a lot of rain fell in the preceding months. Wireworm infections were reported in six provinces and there were large losses among small livestock, especially in areas where wireworms have developed resistance to deworming agents.
“The occurrence of insect-transmitted diseases such as lumpy skin disease, three-day stiff sickness, and bluetongue has decreased due to cold weather leading to unfavourable conditions for the hosts.”
Malan says that although no new cases of foot-and-mouth disease were reported in August, strict biosecurity measures must be maintained. He emphasises that diseases know no boundaries and that farmers and their neighbours in each area must work closely together for their own benefit to control these diseases.
John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, recently expressed his concern that people in the Eastern Cape are not adhering to the strict measures announced there in May and that the disease continues to spread. It has been confirmed on 33 farms in the Humansdorp district, and more than 93 000 cattle and 635 sheep have been vaccinated. Only the Northern Cape and Western Cape have been spared foot-and-mouth disease, and the disease has been brought under control in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West.
By the end of August, there had been about 281 outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease since 2021, of which 93 had been closed and 188 remained open.
According to Ruvasa’s report, animal diseases reported in all nine provinces in August included coccidiosis, abscesses and difficult births. Diseases reported in eight provinces included tapeworms, energy deficiency, diarrhoea, eye infections, foot problems and uterine problems.
Malan recommends that farmers study the list of diseases reported to determine their risks, in cooperation with their veterinarians.
Biosecurity measures must be in place at all times, and farmers must be constantly aware of any diseases that may occur. Alongside veterinarians, they should review the animal health of the past summer season and adjust their management programme.
“Diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, brucellosis (five provinces), trichomoniasis (four provinces), cryptosporidiosis (seven provinces) and malignant catarrhal fever (three provinces) are among the diseases of which farmers must remain constantly aware,” he says.
The livestock disease report for August was compiled from 123 reports by veterinary practices and laboratories nationwide. There were six reports from Mpumalanga, seven from Gauteng, seven from Limpopo, 10 from North West, 20 from the Free State, 10 from KwaZulu-Natal, 14 from the Eastern Cape, 16 from the Western Cape, 20 from the Northern Cape, as well as two from feedlots and 11 from laboratories and other sources.
The table shows the main diseases and conditions reported to Ruvasa in August 2024:
