The absolute necessity to launch a full-scale onslaught against foot-and-mouth disease, and the extreme urgency with which the state must deal with it, have been highlighted by various industries in the livestock sector, as well as by veterinarians and farmers at the FMD indaba held in Pretoria.
By Charl van Rooyen, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
Summary
- Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) affects food security and the export of especially red meat.
- Steps must be taken to act quickly in times of crisis.
- Enough vaccines should be made available for preventative livestock vaccinations.
Hundreds of stakeholders gathered at the Agricultural Research Council’s Institute for Vegetable and Ornamental Plants outside Pretoria the past two days, where a strategy needed to be formed to effectively manage the epidemic in the short, medium and long term.
Gerhard van der Burgh of the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) outlined the importance of food security and the danger that FMD poses for it. During 2022, 655 000 cases were reported worldwide. Although Southern Africa is currently suffering from recurrent outbreaks of FMD, Asia in general has the dubious “privilege” of having the most outbreaks, namely 13 248 this year, followed by 11 418 cases in Europe and 5 254 cases in Africa.
This year, South Africa already had 2 814 cases of FMD among cattle, which means that it can exceed 2024’s total of 2 980 cases and come close to 2022’s peak, when 7 692 cases were confirmed.
It harms food security, whose success depends on economic and physical access to food, its physical availability, nutritional and health benefits, and stability over time. Van der Burgh said FMD also harms food exports, which are important for growth opportunities.
FMD’s impact on trade, a drop in production and the gross national product can be enormous. He estimates the “medium burden” to be R3.2 billion in losses between 2025 and 2030. If the trend worsens, it could mean a loss of R4.5 billion by 2035. If the intensity increases further (resulting in a high-level burden), the amount could rise to R11.3 billion in losses between 2025 and 2030, and continue to trend at R25.6 billion in losses by 2035.
Farmers Live In Fear
“Commercial producers literally live in fear because many people know their days of farming will be over if they are quarantined under the current guidelines,” said Dr. Frikkie Maré, CEO of the Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO).
FMD does not kill animals, but it economically cuts off the farmers’ throats if their markets are taken away. Their remuneration is limited to one or two payments per year, while the gross margins vary from year to year. This means the timing is critical when quarantined.
“We often hear FMD is spread by irresponsible producers who do not follow the rules, but responsible parties in the rest of the value chain, including government institutions, can also be blamed. While some follow the rules to the letter, others simply do not care and then get away with it. If we cannot ensure every role-player obeys rules, everything is in vain.”
Sadly, there are also significant differences between provinces. In some cases, there is good cooperation between the state and the industry, but in other provinces, there is no cooperation. “We receive reports from role-players who attend only the first meeting, where traffic and police personnel do not know what it is about, what they have to do if they pull over a vehicle with livestock, or which documents must accompany the animals.”
Movement of stray and unidentified animals is also a headache and requires attention. No matter how good the biosecurity measures are, if stray animals graze next to a farmer’s fence, or mix with other animals at a gathering, rules and tracking are in vain, he added.
24 Hours To Isolate
There are only 24 hours to isolate the FMD virus, thus preventing a wide outbreak, Dr. A.J. Davis, a private veterinarian, said. Teams that can act quickly should therefore be prepared to respond immediately to a location where FMD has broken out at any time.
“FMD is a state-controlled disease, not a disease that we hope to control without cooperation between the state and the private sector.” He suggested introducing FMD-free zones, identifying core agricultural areas, and planning for the event of outbreaks in those areas. Certainly, there must be enough vaccine available to provide each core area with at least 5 000 doses that can be administered immediately if an outbreak occurs.
Estelle van Reenen, on behalf of the SA Feedlot Association (SAFA), stated the outbreak of FMD resulted in a 30% price increase when the supply chain was disrupted. Once the supply of weaner calves is disrupted, it is difficult to refill a feedlot. As a result, farmers, including small-scale farmers, experience huge losses.
Feedlots account for 70% of the country’s slaughtered cattle. Most exports of red meat also come from feedlots. Therefore, vaccination is the only sustainable option for the current FMD crisis. The advantage is that markets will then reopen. It is also essential to establish traceability.
Systems Need To Change
Dewald Olivier, CEO of the Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), said South Africa cannot continue in the same vein as before, because of the great crisis caused by FMD. The systems need to be changed and applied to the farthest corners of the country. “We’re in a crisis and we don’t have much time to solve the problem, but we have to make crisis decisions now.”
Food security is under threat. The state’s Veterinary Services lack sufficient staff to manage FMD alone. The crisis is much bigger than that. Therefore, a new approach to disease control is necessary; targeted decisions must be made, and the entire livestock industry must commit to collaboration.
Fanie Ferreira, chairperson of the Milk Producers Organisation (MPO), said the country’s milk producers were looking forward to the compilation of the proposed task team, which should make proposals for the management of FMD and implement them. Part of the solution is to have enough vaccines available to prevent large-scale vaccination of dairy cattle.
