By Carien Kruger
The enforcement of the new FMD regulations to combat foot-and-mouth disease is dependent on the cooperation of government institutions such as municipalities, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), police and border management authorities, says John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture.
Steenhuisen visited Karan Beef’s feedlot at Heidelberg in Gauteng on Monday, where cattle are currently being vaccinated in quarantine after vaccines arrived in South Africa from Botswana on Thursday. Cabinet will be briefed on the status of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and progress in vaccination, as well as why it is necessary for other government departments to assist the Department of Agriculture, he told the media. The Agricultural Products Agents Council (Apac) will send people to auctions to ensure that regulations are being adhered to.
“As I have said to the industry at various conferences and on various occasions: If you do not comply with the law, you run the risk of being prosecuted. The powers for this are considerable and can include seizure of cattle and of an abattoir.”
Controlling Access into South Africa from Neighbouring Countries will Impact the Country
The control of access from neighbouring countries to South Africa has a major impact on the country’s ability to combat the disease. This applies, among others, to the borders with Zimbabwe and Swaziland and in the Eastern Free State with Lesotho. Officials from the border authority will visit the Lesotho border with Steenhuisen to look at possibilities for collaboration, including with community organisations, to ensure that the borders cannot be crossed so easily. This will also help prevent livestock thefts.
Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, added that the provincial borders within South Africa are actually the weakest, because they do not exist. “We still have a lot of work to do and realise that the international community of our exporting countries sees us as one country and not as different provinces,” she said.
Steenhuisen said another issue that needs serious attention is the maintenance of the fences around SANParks reserves to prevent buffalo from coming into contact with cattle. Foot-and-mouth disease is an endemic disease in cattle.
‘Vaccination is the start’
Ramokgopa said her province’s veterinary team is particularly focused on vaccinating smallholder cattle, which move more freely and pose a high risk of infection and spread. According to Steenhuisen, vaccination at this stage is part of a strategy that will lead to a medium- and long-term solution to controlling foot-and-mouth disease. “We cannot afford to have these outbreaks every few months or years. We need to find a longer-term plan.”
Regarding vaccines, Steenhuisen said the department must look very carefully at its capacity to manufacture them in South Africa. The Agricultural Research Council is working on a vaccine, which is currently in the final testing stage. It will require cooperation from everyone in the value chain to get the disease under control – it cannot be the task of the state alone.
Impact of the disease and the importance of the FMD Regulations
Steenhuisen said the disease has a huge impact on the value chain, as well as on consumers. He referred to the recent increase in meat prices and added that Karan Beef is responsible for about 30% of the beef in the country. The impact is not only on beef, but also on the feed, transport and packaging industries, among others. The earlier outbreaks in the Humansdorp area showed the potential damage the disease poses to the dairy industry.
