By Nico van Burick
In the fight against foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, a central operations centre (OC) at the Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) headquarters in Pretoria will be operational from today Monday (9 June).
The green light for this step was given at a council meeting last week Thursday. The centre will be headed by a veterinarian from the RMIS, who, in collaboration with a team of experts and industry representatives, as well as a public relations agency, will form a working group against foot-and-mouth disease.
Dewald Olivier, CEO of RMIS, said in a statement the working group’s mandate would be to develop and implement a structured, timely plan against the outbreak with medium- and long-term goals that include vaccinations, among other things.
“This is a pivotal moment for the red meat industry,” he said. “The RMIS was started for a time like this to ensure coordinated leadership, technical skills and practical solutions in close cooperation with government and other role players. Our joint efforts will ensure a more sustainable and competitive future for the industry.”
He says the main aim of the plan is to establish guidelines for the RMIS’s management of the foot-and-mouth situation in the country, focusing on protecting role players in the red meat industry and ensuring long-term growth for the industry. He says this is crucial not only for the red meat industry but for South Africa’s agriculture as a whole.
Another main objective is to establish public and private partnerships at different levels to support the veterinary sector, which lacks staff.
Some of the working group’s immediate responsibilities include finalising a framework for, among other things, the extension and support of veterinary services over the medium term and the establishment of compartments free of foot-and-mouth disease to provide animals to abattoirs.
There should also be coordination with the joint operational centre to ensure government–industry cooperation. The government’s emergency measures will be reviewed, and feedback will be provided. At the same time, the focus will be on a strategy to produce local vaccines.
Olivier, meanwhile, says to the best of his knowledge, there are no exporting countries that have indicated that they want to impose a ban on imports. “What we must remember is when Sparta, Beefcor and Morgan Beef tested positive about two years ago, more cattle were affected than now with Karan. At that time, we continued exporting, so this is no exception.
“This is the whole principle of a compartment we can export from. Nothing is wrong with the rest, and exports can be carried out from there as normal.”
Olivier says Karan Beef also met with the Department of Agriculture on Thursday to try to find a solution on their own to the outbreak in the feedlot at Heidelberg. He gathered that it was a good meeting and that their suggestions were well received. The plan on how the issue should be handled is progressing and will be submitted to the department.
