By Lloyd Phillips
The recent confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease at probably the world’s largest cattle feedlot – where stringent biosecurity applies – clearly shows that South Africa’s state animal health authorities need to start paying attention to the private sector.
The time has come for government officials who believe they have a monopoly of wisdom for managing foot-and-mouth disease to acknowledge their shortcomings and accept valuable advice from private sector experts.
The farm of Peter-John Hassard, president of Kwanalu and a cattle and game farmer in the Hluhluwe district, has been in KwaZulu-Natal’s original foot-and-mouth disease control area (DCA) since around 2019 and is subject to livestock relocation measures.
He is grateful that, unlike other livestock and game farmers in the province’s extensive DCA, he was able to maintain a consistent market for his slaughter animals through an abattoir client who is also located in this area.
“My heart bleeds for farmers who can’t officially market animals because of foot-and-mouth disease. They are suffering, and the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease at Karan Beef is a huge setback for the country as a whole.”
“Now even farmers outside the foot-and-mouth areas will not be able to sell animals to Karan for at least the next month.”
‘State plays catch-up’
“I already sent a message last week to the Minister of Agriculture [John Steenhuisen] in which I said he should be aware that some livestock farmers – big and
small – will no longer be in business at the end of this year. They have no alternative sources of income.”
An already difficult situation will be exacerbated by downward pressure on red meat prices resulting from the Heidelberg feedlot’s discontinuation of animal purchases for a currently unknown period until its foot-and-mouth situation can be contained.
“I mentioned to the minister the state is playing catch-up on foot-and-mouth instead of being proactive. The state is scrambling. First, the state does not have the resources or manpower, and second, it does not have the knowledge.”
Hassard points out that the private sector has repeatedly offered its knowledge, skills and resources to the state to help significantly strengthen the fight against foot-and-mouth disease, “but it is falling on deaf ears”.
In some cases, the state has asked the private sector for help. “We offer our help, and then they do the exact opposite of what we say. No one listens to our plans, because they all think they’re smarter than us.”
Meaningful Advice from Farmers
Some of the various recommendations that Hassard and his colleagues in the private livestock industry have provided to the state include:
- Widespread proactive vaccination of cattle against foot-and-mouth disease should be allowed, even if these cattle are outside high-risk areas. Such vaccinations should include all cattle destined for feedlots, and even dairy farms and the like.
- All experts on foot-and-mouth disease in the public and private sectors, including retirees, should be approached for their recommendations for the development of a comprehensive, effective and meaningful management strategy.
- Livestock farmers within foot-and-mouth management areas should have ways to legally market their animals. This must include the establishment of abattoirs within a DCA to slaughter animals. Hassard explains: “As Angus Williamson, at the helm of KZN’s Red Meat Producers Organisation, always says: ‘By not giving them market opportunities for their animals, you are turning good people into criminals. Whether they are communal or commercial, the farmer has to pay bills, or pay school fees, or buy food for his/her family…’”
- Create a level playing field for livestock farmers across all production scales in terms of risk assessments for foot-and-mouth disease. As things stand, commercial farmers are legally required to answer the state’s 102 questions, while it seems that small-scale farmers are allowed to transport cattle without answering such questions.
- Accept that foot-and-mouth disease is a permanent problem in and for South Africa. When Brazil was considered foot-and-mouth-free with vaccinations, it was still able to export substantial quantities of livestock products to certain countries. South Africa could potentially do the same if its own vaccination programme against foot-and-mouth disease becomes comprehensive.
- Any political agendas that undermine the state’s ability to effectively tackle South Africa’s foot-and-mouth challenge must be set aside for the greater benefit of the country’s entire livestock value chain, residents and the economy.
Hassard’s message to South Africa’s livestock farmers is: “Yes, it is very frustrating. But we’re not going to give up easily. Certainly not, because it is not in my nature. I understand their frustration. Angus and I and everyone who leads this thing will do everything we can to make things easier.”
