By Charl van Rooyen, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
At the press conference following his speech at the national foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease summit in Pretoria, John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, was peppered with questions about whether South Africa, like Brazil, would adopt a strategy of widespread vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease so that the country could qualify for international status as foot-and-mouth disease-free with vaccination.
Regarding the possibility that the state might permit private manufacture of the vaccine, Steenhuisen said this is not currently happening because it is a controlled vaccine that could be used as a weapon if it fell into the wrong hands.
However, he did not completely close the door on private supply.
Cautious Optimism on Private Manufacturing
Depending on what is decided at the summit over the next two days, private manufacture of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine could eventually be considered, involving a process where South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease vaccines are produced under licence in the private sector, whether locally or internationally.
The issue with international manufacturing is that it might not adequately meet South Africa’s needs, as the strains of foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa differ from those in countries like Brazil, Steenhuisen said.
So, it’s not just about handing it over to a private laboratory. We need vaccines that cater to our specific needs. I know there are several private manufacturers in South Africa, and that would naturally be something we would discuss over the next two days, I think, as a possible step towards another solution.
However, this would not remove the vital role that the state must play in regulating the production and distribution of that vaccine and in preventing it from falling into the wrong hands.
Learning from Brazil’s Success Story
South Africa aims to reach a point where, like its counterparts in Brazil and other parts of the world, it has successfully controlled foot-and-mouth disease, Steenhuisen said. However, he also emphasised that people must understand that foot-and-mouth disease will continue to be endemic in certain regions of South Africa.
He explained that Brazil employs a specific model, focusing on vaccination, with widespread immunisation of animals to manage foot-and-mouth disease. This initially led the country to achieve a status of being foot-and-mouth disease-free, with vaccination.
Regional Solutions Rather Than Blanket Approach
From his speech at the summit, it seems Steenhuisen and the Department of Agriculture favour regional solutions instead of a so-called blanket approach for the whole country, mainly because foot-and-mouth disease is endemic to the region.
“I believe that the fact we now have outbreaks in other provinces suggests that the current blanket approach might not be the right strategy, and it may not achieve the desired effect. However, that’s what the next two days of discussions will focus on,” he said at the press conference.
The summit, attended by various stakeholders in the red meat industry and South African veterinary services, continues today (Tuesday) and is jointly organised by the Department of Agriculture, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), the University of Pretoria, and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP).
