Limpopo declared free of foot-and-mouth, but vigilance remains vital

By Jasper Raats

Limpopo has achieved what once seemed nearly impossible: The province is now officially free of foot-and-mouth disease. This follows Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s ratification of the lifting of the disease control area.

It’s taken six years of incredibly hard work by a wide range of people and organisations,” says Paul van Vuuren, stud auctioneer at André Kock & Son Limpopo and member of the Foot-and-Mouth Forum, which was established shortly after the 2019 outbreak in the province.

Van Vuuren says keeping foot-and-mouth disease under control demands committed collaboration across the red meat value chain, along with support from key stakeholders such as the provincial Department of Animal Health, the police and organised agriculture.

“In Limpopo, we all played our part, first to contain the spread, and later to prevent new outbreaks. The Foot-and-Mouth Forum, our state veterinarians, auctioneers and Agri Limpopo all stepped in.”

Still, he cautions, the situation remains fragile; everyone in the province knows how quickly it can flare up again. “That’s why we police ourselves, because the police and Animal Health can’t be everywhere.”

Farmers Remain On Guard

Members of Limpopo’s red meat value chain act swiftly whenever they spot livestock that may be infected, immediately alerting one another via the Foot-and-Mouth Forum’s WhatsApp group. Representatives from organised agriculture, the police and the Department of Animal Health, all of whom are part of the group, can then respond without delay.

For instance, on Thursday morning last week, one forum member spotted a bakkie and trailer with KwaZulu-Natal registration plates transporting goats just outside Polokwane, heading towards Gauteng. He stopped the vehicle and alerted the state veterinarian, the SAPS Stock Theft Unit and fellow forum members via the WhatsApp group.

By lunchtime, the vehicle and the goats were under escort by officials from the Department of Animal Health, on their way back to Venda, where the animals had come from. A department representative later confirmed that the goats came from the Tshikodeni settlement in the Vhembe district, outside the foot-and-mouth disease-free zone. Their transport was illegal, as all livestock moved since 13 June must have an identification mark or tag, and be accompanied by a health declaration from both seller and buyer. These goats met none of those requirements.

“We cannot afford to let our guard down,” says Willem van Jaarsveld, chair of the Foot-and-Mouth Forum. “We must do everything in our power to keep the disease under control. My greatest fear is that we now relax and think the job is done.”

The Foot-And-Mouth Forum Fill Gaps Left by the State

Van Jaarsveld is particularly concerned that foot-and-mouth disease could re-emerge in the province if the same complacency that allowed the initial outbreaks to spread takes hold again.

“I’m especially worried about how the situation with the goats on Thursday was handled,” he says. “Those animals should have been culled, not simply sent back to Vhembe. It feels as though we’ve convinced ourselves everything is fine now, that we no longer need to be so strict.”

Foot-and-mouth disease first broke out in Limpopo in November 2019, when two cattle tested positive just outside the permanent control zone – known as the red area – in the Vhembe district. Outbreaks within the red zone, which borders the Kruger National Park, do not impact South Africa’s official foot-and-mouth-free status.

The 2019 outbreak led to a quarantine of the area, and a broader disease control zone was later declared by the then-Minister of Agriculture to contain the spread beyond the red line.

From the beginning, the response was hampered by limited resources and personnel. In response, the Foot-and-Mouth Forum was formed, with farmers and stakeholders in the red meat industry stepping in to fill the gaps left by the state.

“For example,” Van Jaarsveld says, “André Kock & Son have repeatedly bought and donated blood tubes for the Department of Animal Health to collect samples. Forum members often pay for fuel for vehicles or generators out of their own pockets, and we’ve helped repair dip tanks in communal areas, essential points where state vets can inspect livestock and administer vaccinations when needed.”

Disinfectant Sprays Made a Difference

Van Jaarsveld and Van Vuuren agree that eradicating foot-and-mouth disease in the province would have been impossible without all parties setting aside their individual interests and prioritising the wellbeing of the entire livestock industry.

Their advice to other provinces still battling the disease is straightforward: All stakeholders must be willing to collaborate and support one another, especially when the state lacks resources, is understaffed or is hindered by slow procurement processes.

The most effective step South Africa can take to bring foot-and-mouth disease under control, Van Vuuren says, is the widespread use of overhead disinfectant sprays for vehicles transporting livestock – at auction pens, abattoirs, toll gates and feedlots. “It works in Botswana, and I believe it’s made a real difference in Limpopo, where it’s standard practice at our auction facilities.”