Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen revealed a major policy shift to combat foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) today.
By Maile Matsimela, Digital Editor at African Farming
Speaking at the AFASA Leadership and Strategic Partnership Conference at the Agriculture Research Council’s Roodeplaat Campus on Wednesday, 26 November, Steenhuisen announced that government will now vaccinate the entire national herd against FMD, which is a dramatic change from previous targeted approaches.
“I want to make it very clear. The Department of Agriculture and the Minister of Agriculture hear your cries, we hear your pleas and we hear your frustration,” Steenhuisen told the conference.
National vaccination programme launched
The minister revealed that KwaZulu-Natal remains the epicentre of the FMD crisis, with 180 of the country’s 274 unresolved outbreaks located in the province. Despite vaccinating over 931 000 animals in recent months, uncontrolled animal movement continues to spread the disease.
“I can therefore announce today that the Ministry of Agriculture has made a policy change. We will be moving to vaccinate the entire national herd in South Africa against foot-and-mouth disease. This is going to be essential if we are to get on top of the disease,” he said.
The ambitious programme will see over 2 million vaccines procured by February 2024, with dairy farms getting priority. “By February next year, [we intend to] have procured over 2 million vaccines. And we will continue to procure at scale to ensure that we can meet the challenge,” Steenhuisen announced.
Government plans to apply to the World Organisation for Animal Health for recognition as “foot-and-mouth free with vaccination” once the rollout reaches sufficient scale, potentially opening lucrative export markets.
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Also read: Nick Serfontein’s open letter to Minister Steenhuisen: ‘Here we go again’
Partnership with RMIS praised
Steenhuisen gave special recognition to Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) for their livestock traceability platform and vaccine support.
The AFASA Leadership and Strategic Partnership Conference continues today at the ARC Roodeplaat Campus.
Also read: Traceability of livestock is the bridge between South Africa’s renowned quality and global confidence
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Minister Steenhuisen applauds RMIS for advancing traceability in the red meat sector
