By Lloyd Phillips

Karan Beef’s Nigel feedlot in Gauteng and its Albert Falls feedlot in KwaZulu-Natal have now also tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease. This comes just weeks after the company’s massive and highly biosecure Heidelberg feedlot in Gauteng tested positive for the disease.

All three of Karan Beef’s feedlots have now tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease. This was confirmed to African Farming by Ivor Karan, the company’s founder and chairman.

Karan Beef is Africa’s largest beef producer and employs 3 600 people. Its three feedlots, two abattoirs and one distribution centre process approximately 550 000 cattle and their products annually. These products are for local and export markets. The cattle are sourced from commercial farmers and from an increasing number of small-scale livestock farmers. Karan Beef is recognised as an industry leader for the strict biosecurity measures it adheres to in an attempt to protect its significant investments from foot-and-mouth disease and other potentially devastating diseases.

“There are definitely positive cases at all three of our feedlots,” says Karan. “What we cannot understand is how foot-and-mouth disease is being found in our feedlot animals after they have already spent 30 days in quarantine, followed by a further 70 days in the feedlot. These positive animals had been with us for 100 days before they started showing clinical symptoms.

“We have all the strictest biosecurity measures. Quarantines. Vehicle disinfection. Human disinfection. But it still comes in. We just don’t know how it got here.”

He says although it has not been confirmed, suspicion is growing that the foot-and-mouth virus may have been airborne from surrounding areas.

Karan tells African Farming for Karan Beef to survive these confirmed foot-and-mouth infections that have led to its feedlots being placed under immediate quarantine, the company must start vaccinating all its cattle against this disease and, after the appropriate period, slaughter and market these animals.

“We were informed by the state animal health authorities that the vaccines imported from Botswana would arrive this week. But to date, we have not received a single dose of vaccine.

“I believe the feedlot industry will go under if we do not start vaccinating animals for slaughter. We must vaccinate all animals before they enter our quarantine stations. I see this as the only way out for us.”