Stray, or untended, livestock are indeed a major problem in many respects. However, being a leading contributor to South Africa’s ongoing and expanding outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease is not one of them.
By Lloyd Phillips, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
By law, livestock straying untended in South Africa’s public spaces are supposed to be removed by their owners or, failing this, removed and safely impounded by other lawfully authorised and obligated persons. Yet, as has long been widely reported, enforcement of the country’s laws is often not carried out effectively and consistently.
Stray livestock are a common sight in South Africa. African Farming’s editorial team can attest to experiencing near misses or actual collisions with such animals on public roads. This journalist once even assisted with herding approximately 50 untended cattle from grazing the central median of the busy N3 national highway in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
Freddie van Tonder is a former stock theft unit commander in KwaZulu-Natal, and now rural safety and security consultant to the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) and the province’s Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (KZN RPO).
He says in addition to the dangers they pose to vehicular traffic, stray livestock are easy targets for both opportunistic or organised thieves, and they can spread or contract important diseases beyond just foot-and-mouth.
Angus Williamson is Kwanalu’s vice-president and the KZN RPO’s chairperson. He believes that not nearly enough is being done by authorities in KwaZulu-Natal, and possibly elsewhere, to reduce the prevalence of stray livestock and the risks they pose.
“The majority of municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal neither have nor enforce applicable bylaws, nor do they have or subcontract functioning livestock pounds. This is a major problem that needs to be addressed…”
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Spreading Other Diseases Also A Threat
“Stray animals do add to the risk for and spread of not only foot-and-mouth but also other important diseases like brucellosis, trichomoniasis and bovine tuberculosis.”
Dr Ariena Shepherd is a veterinarian who heads the KwaZulu-Natal Animal Health Forum. She says that in the context of foot-and-mouth, stray livestock are certainly at risk of contracting and/or spreading this disease, but generally in a comparatively limited geographical area.
“The main cause of spreading outbreaks of foot-and-mouth is through the movements of infected livestock over long distances, most often by vehicles. Nevertheless, an infected stray animal can potentially infect a farmer’s animals through the farm’s boundary fence.
“That said, free-roaming game in farming areas are a major problem. An infected kudu or bushpig can potentially move through and infect five livestock farms in a single night.”
An expert on KwaZulu-Natal’s laws regarding stray livestock, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic, agrees that the often-illegal movements of infected livestock over long distances are the main driver behind ongoing new outbreaks of foot-and-mouth.
The expert points out that although stray livestock may well contract and spread this disease in a comparatively limited geographical area, infected animals in this particular area will more than likely recover from the foot-and-mouth infection.
‘Livestock Are Their Savings Account’
“One must understand that for most livestock owners within KwaZulu-Natal’s big foot-and-mouth disease management area, the ban on livestock movements means they now have no way of earning an income from their animals. This is especially devastating for the small-scale livestock owners who view their herds and flocks as a savings account.
“On more than one occasion I have been told directly by some of these livestock owners that they are so desperate for income that they will be moving some of their animals illegally out of the disease management area to sell them.”
The anonymous source adds that although he is sympathetic to these livestock owners’ plight, he also appreciates that such illegal movements put South Africa’s entire livestock sector in jeopardy.
“I used to report suspected illegal livestock movements to the authorities, but my reports were almost never followed up on. So, I’ve largely given up. What I strongly believe, though, is that the state must urgently prioritise measures to enable livestock owners within the disease management area to be able to legally earn an income.
“Otherwise the spread of foot-and-mouth will just continue. The alternative is to allow widespread proactive vaccination against this disease.”
