Although South Africa lost almost R1 billion in revenue from live livestock exports due to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the last year, exports offer a major opportunity provided animal diseases can be brought under control.
By Fredalette Uys
At the Eastern Cape Red Meat Producers Organisation’s annual meeting, Sake van der Wal of Al Mawashi said at least four ships could have been sent to the Middle East in the last year if it had not been for the outbreak. The loss of income has had a huge impact on the Eastern Cape and approximately R250 million per ship is spent on feed, medicine and animals, among other things.
“Kuwait (where Al Mawashi is based) called me three weeks ago and asked me to send a ship. I said I could send a ship, but unfortunately I couldn’t load sheep because I was stuck in the Eastern Cape with foot-and-mouth disease.”
He said plan B is to use eight different feedlots to get the animals ready for the ship, but he can’t transport sheep right now. His biggest problem, however, isn’t FMD, but rather what’s going to break out next.
“I’m asking you farmers very kindly to implement biosecurity measures to control foot-and-mouth disease so that we can control all the other diseases that occur in South Africa.”
The last ship carrying livestock that Al Mawashi transported to Kuwait left the port in East London in April last year – just before FMD broke out for the first time in the Eastern Cape.
Also read: Animal health: Biosecurity is the best form of defence
Big opportunity
He said there is a huge opportunity for South African live exports in the future because Australia will cease its live exports of livestock from 2028.
“Do we have a preparedness plan to take advantage? We can’t prove ourselves as a reliable exporter in three years. We need to prove ourselves now as a reliable exporter who can control diseases, logistics and the ports.”
The Australian government announced last year that the export of live livestock by ship would end by 1 May 2028.
