Cooperation among all stakeholders is critical in the fight against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). “Work together. The virus is your enemy – not the government, your neighbour, the veterinarian or even your neighbour’s dog,” says Dr Anthony Davis, a private veterinarian.
By Alani Janeke, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
The Humansdorp Vet Clinic was the first to deal with the FMD outbreak in the Eastern Cape in April 2024. “A dairy farmer sent me a photo of one of his cows with peeling skin on the tongue. I had never seen anything like it, but I knew there was only one thing that could cause it,” Davis told a biosecurity workshop in Malmesbury on Wednesday, 3 September. He urged local farmers to do everything possible to keep FMD off their farms.
When an outbreak occurs, successful disease control depends on relationships and cooperation. “Managing FMD is about relationships: your relationship with government officials, your fellow farmers and your community, Davis says. “If there’s one thing that drives disease control, it’s building strong relationships.”
He encourages farmers to establish a committee of multiple stakeholders and create a contingency plan before the disease appears in their area so rapid action is possible in the event of an outbreak. It’s also important to plan in advance which abattoir can handle animals that are sick or have been vaccinated.
To protect animal welfare and keep transport costs down, the designated abattoir should be located reasonably close to the affected area.
Although emotions can run high during an outbreak, Davis stresses that everyone has to work together and aim for the same goal. “The virus is your enemy – not the government, your neighbour, the veterinarian or even your neighbour’s dog. It’s up to all of us to resolve the situation.”
At the same time, each farmer must take responsibility for biosecurity on their own farm. “It only takes one truck that hasn’t been cleaned…”
The virus can survive in manure for up to six months. It is therefore essential that trucks are cleaned before leaving one farm and before arriving at another.
Farmers should not assume that all visitors will follow biosecurity protocols. It is up to each farmer to ensure biosecurity measures are properly applied to protect their herd.
The virus is believed to have reached the Eastern Cape via a contaminated lorry. It had never occurred in the Humansdorp area before, and there were no outbreaks near the farm where it was first detected.
Also read: Vaccines alone won’t stop foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)
Could the FMD Virus Be Spread by the Wind?
Research conducted in the UK suggests that the FMD virus can be carried by wind at humidity levels of 80% or higher. Davis says it is suspected that wind played a role in spreading the disease in the Humansdorp area.
“When we consider wind direction, humidity levels during the spread and the strict biosecurity measures applied on farms in the area, we strongly suspect that the virus was windborne.”
Local research has not yet been conducted, as the virus had previously occurred mainly in the Kruger National Park and surrounding red zones, which are drier regions.
Also read: FMD | The battle can be won – Karan vet
Heavy Losses for Dairy Farms
The outbreak in the Eastern Cape caused significant losses for dairy farms, Davis says.
Milking cows are severely affected and, in some cases, cannot eat or walk properly for a period while also developing severe mastitis. “It should really be called foot, mouth and udder disease,” he says.
In some cases, all he could do to help the animals recover was provide anti-inflammatory medication or prescribe supportive care.
He also noted that calves whose mothers had FMD lesions later suffered heart attacks and died.
“The impact of this virus on a dairy operation is severe. Some farmers lost up to R4 million in income within the first 40 days.”
When animals are seriously ill, their milk cannot be used, or the milk buyer must pasteurise it twice, which may not comply with export agreements.
‘A Long-Term Financial and Genetic catastrophe’
Chris Fourie, senior consultant at Dairy Management Consulting, told the workshop that he did not want to frighten farmers but warned that they had to be cautious and proactive about keeping FMD off their farms to avoid serious problems.
He and his team work with about 160 dairy herds countrywide, and they have seen the effects of FMD outbreaks.
In their experience, a dairy cow can die within two weeks of becoming sick, depending on the severity. Dairy cows need a lot of energy to sustain milk production, but the virus makes it difficult for them to move and eat. It also severely affects their udders.
Fourie says in his 22 years in the dairy industry, he has never seen anything affect dairy cows as severely as FMD. Farms he works with have lost 15–20% of their herds. The economic impact has been enormous.
For a herd of 1 000 cows, a 40% milk loss within the first 40 days can cost the farmer R7,2 million. If a farmer with about 100 cows has to cull severely ill animals, it could be an additional loss of R3 million.
“Direct short-term losses can therefore reach around R10,2 million,” Fourie says. “The long-term impact on fertility and herd growth ranges between R12 million and R15 million.”
These figures do not include the economic impact on local service providers or potential job losses from farms not operating optimally.
“FMD is not a one-off disease incident; it is a long-term financial and genetic catastrophe. Be almost militaristic about biosecurity measures on your farm.”
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Combine Vaccination with Strict Biosecurity
Davis praised the state veterinarians in the Humansdorp area, who had to respond rapidly under pressure to implement vaccination and other protocols.
He cautioned, however, that the current vaccination campaign should not give farmers a false sense of security; strict biosecurity measures must still be applied to keep herds safe.
