By Alani Janeke and Jasper Raats
Foot-and-mouth disease is once again in the spotlight after new cases were reported in Mpumalanga and Gauteng, and China banned beef imports from South Africa.
It is very important that South Africa gets the foot-and-mouth disease situation under control as soon as possible, John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, told African Farming at the recent Nampo Harvest Day.
“We have traced some of the new cases in Mpumalanga and Gauteng to an auction held in KwaZulu-Natal, and it is very clear that regulations are not being adhered to.”
“As a result of this and to bring the situation under control, a number of interventions will follow. I will soon announce new regulations that will regulate auctions, especially to ensure there is absolute compliance with regulations at auctions.”
The new regulations will be stricter in areas where the state believes they are not being properly complied with.
“The department has also entered into public-private partnerships with a number of feedlots to purchase foot-and-mouth disease vaccines. In addition, we are meeting with the South African Police Service and provincial traffic authorities to ensure their cooperation in monitoring the movement of animals.
“Ultimately, what we need is a tracking and tracing system. That is why I am working closely with the Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), industry organisations and other stakeholders on a system that will ensure animals moved to and from anywhere in the country can be properly traced and accounted for.
“This will have a huge impact in helping us with disease control and management, as well as the spate of stock theft. People attending auctions will need to ensure their animals are registered for movement.”
The new regulations and a traceability system will benefit farmers. “I hope we will get farmers’ cooperation. They should not see this as some kind of cynical attempt by the state to control their animals, or as someone recently said to me, that Bill Gates is trying to see how many cows they have. It has nothing to do with anything like that.
“It’s about improving biosecurity so that we can get a premium for South African products and create more export opportunities. This will benefit local farmers, and help the country keep diseases at bay and get a grip on livestock theft,” said Steenhuisen.
