By Lloyd Phillips
In light of developments such as foot and mouth disease (FMD) in recent years, the Agricultural Produce Agents Council (APAC) is developing further regulations and protocols to strengthen protection for both farmers and end consumers against unscrupulous and negligent agents.
Any existing or potential intermediary agents of South Africa’s agricultural produce who intentionally or negligently take shortcuts or act unethically or illegally will soon have even bigger targets on their backs.
The government-mandated but operationally independent APAC is further sharpening its already formidable legal teeth, which could result in unscrupulous or non-compliant agricultural produce agents being permanently closed down, fined or even sent to prison.
Francois Knowles, APAC’s registrar, recently spoke at a BKB FMD Information Day held in KwaZulu-Natal’s Dundee district. He explained that APAC’s overarching goal is to protect farmers who use agents to market their agricultural products and ensure they reach their end consumers via safe and ethical processes.
Knowles said APAC had already announced biosecurity rules for livestock auctions in early 2020 following the outbreaks of FMD in KwaZulu-Natal in late 2019. In light of the ongoing spread of the disease in the province, it was more recently discovered that these original rules were flawed in that they did not allow for punitive legal consequences to be imposed on biosecurity law violators.
“We found that we have 285 identified livestock auction facilities in South Africa. We have already issued several certificates for biosecurity compliance. However, there are still many who do not have certificates or people who have not applied for one,” he pointed out.
Non-compliant auctions are red flags
Knowles further claimed that many auction facilities “are non-compliant from a biosecurity perspective. That means structures and systems are not there. So, if you, as a farmer, sell your animals there, you are vulnerable. You are exposed to the elements of diseases such as FMD.”
Once implemented, APAC’s new biosecurity rules will compel livestock agents and auction facilities to implement these safeguards. Agents and auctions found to be still accepting and marketing animals with unknown health status or owners will initially face disciplinary procedures.
At the very least, any parties found guilty will be banned from operating as agents or auction facilities. Depending on the severity of the violation, these parties may be prosecuted on criminal charges and fined or imprisoned.
“We as APAC have also been looking into the inhumane handling of animals lately. This is becoming very important. I want to tell you, it is sometimes disgusting to see what people do on the roads when transporting livestock. Inhumane handling is unethical. There is also a direct link between inhumane handling and poor animal health,” Knowles said.
“We want well-regulated, well-structured and clean auctions. We want to make sure that role players support auction sites better. The farmer should feel proud to bring his/her animals and sell them there. The agent should also be proud to bring a buyer there. The abattoir and the consumer at the back end should know that they will get an animal or product that is clean, ethically produced and not infected with all sorts of diseases.”
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