Stray animals are not the only problem when it comes to the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), although they are one of several problems that contribute to it, says an expert on veterinary offences.
By Alani Janeke, Senior Journalist at Landbouweekblad and African Farming
Cmdr. Jan Nel, biosecurity officer of Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), is busy checking the distribution of confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) to determine which cases are related to each other. And from the work he has done so far, he can see stray animals have contributed to the spread of FMD in parts of the country.
The RMIS appointed Nel to this position earlier this year in collaboration with the government. He has 37 years of experience in agriculture, especially in veterinary services, where he served, among other things, as a law enforcement officer.
Nel says if the police had properly enforced the legislation on impoundments and stray animals, it would not only prevent the spread of animal diseases but also promote safety on the country’s roads. It would also prevent grazing theft on farms, which often leads to conflict between farmers and communities who cut farm fences to let their animals graze.
Also read: Red meat industry appoints Nel as biosecurity marshal
Quarantine impoundments
“The faster quarantine impoundments can be put into operation, the faster we will be able to control the incidence of animal diseases.”
Nel says he is unsure of how many quarantine impoundments there are in the country. An impoundment owner must meet very specific requirements in order to impound animals that may have a notifiable disease.
The stricter enforcement of legislation regarding the identification of animals will also contribute to the better handling of stray animals, as very few livestock owners whose cattle graze on communal land want to have their cattle branded.
“This way, the owner of the cattle cannot be held responsible when that animal causes an accident. Legislation does require the police to fine owners whose livestock are not marked and to impound the livestock. Fines are also prescribed, and if the owner does not heed the fines and warnings, he is summoned to court.
“The legislation exists to control stray animals, but we need to get the basics right before we can go any further.”
Another obstacle is the fact that the government has been dragging its feet for years on proposed amendments to the impoundment legislation.
“I have already received complaints from the police and municipalities about some impoundment managers asking whatever they want to impound animals, because the legislation that sets the amounts that can be charged per livestock unit is contained in the lagging legislation.”
Also read: FMD | ‘Stray livestock pose other, bigger risks’ – experts
Costs and legal process
Robert Davel, CEO of Agriculture Mpumalanga, says in his province, police stations cite inadequate budgets as one of their biggest problems when it comes to stray animals and impoundments.
He cites an example where animals are impounded at around R100 per day – this includes the animal’s feed. If a herd of 50 cattle has to be impounded at a cost of R100 per day in a case that will be in court in six months, the cost for these animals amounts to R900 000.
“Most police stations indicate that their budget for an impoundment is only R350 000 per year…”
Security
Two stockyard owners in Mpumalanga who spoke to African Farming on condition of anonymity say they also have to incur security costs.
One stockyard owner is now only willing to stock animals on farms outside of town. Their lives and those of their employees are threatened by the local community when their animals are stocked within town.
The second stockyard owner says sophisticated security systems had to be installed, as they are regularly targeted by thieves on the farms where they keep stockyard animals. The culprits who steal the animals are either cattle thieves who know that animals are being stocked there or the owners of the livestock who do not want to pay the stockyard costs but rather want to steal their livestock back.
Other stockyard owners have also told these two stockyard owners they have decided to close their stockyards because it is simply no longer worth risking their safety and sometimes having to wait a long time for payments from government for the services they provide under contracts with the police.
