Government gains momentum in tackling foot and mouth disease
Intensified efforts to control and eradicate foot and mouth disease (FMD) are paying off.
This is according to Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, who, in a statement on Wednesday, said the process of procuring vaccines through Onderstepoort Biological Products has started, and the next batch of vaccines is expected to be delivered by mid-June.
The disease management areas (DMAs) in the two provinces are soon to be lifted, and an urgent order has been placed for much-needed vaccines valued at R72m.
'This marks a crucial step forward in the department's vaccination strategy. The department has provisionally costed the vaccine requirements for the 2025/2026 financial year at R1.2b, with each vaccine estimated at R100 per dose,' Steenhuisen said.
Recognising the seriousness of the FMD threat, the minister said he escalated control efforts to the deputy director-general (DGG) for agricultural production, biosecurity and natural resources management, Dipepeneneng Serage, earlier this month.
'The office of the DDG has already engaged with veterinary services and various industry representatives to detail the actions required to curb the threat.'
The minister highlighted that the lifting of the current DMAs in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo is imminent.
In the Eastern Cape, disease management areas covering the Kouga and Kou-Kamma Municipalities have been in place since July 26, 2024. Through a robust vaccination campaign, 144 424 vaccinations were successfully administered, and the last confirmed FMD case was reported in September 2024.
He added that extensive serological surveillance has found no further signs of infection. Steenhuisen confirmed that the movement restrictions in the Eastern Cape DMA will be lifted soon.
Similar success has been reported in the Vhembe District in Limpopo, where a DMA was declared in September 2022 to control an FMD outbreak in dip tanks in the Vhembe Municipality.
Two rounds of vaccination saw 23 024 vaccinations administered to cattle across 34 dip tanks, proving highly effective in bringing the outbreak under control.
'These positive developments highlight the effectiveness of our collaborative control measures, and the dedication of all stakeholders involved. The department remains vigilant and committed to implementing proactive strategies to safeguard animal health and the agricultural sector,' said the minister.
KZN
The minister reported that the DMA in KZN remains in place, since there are still signs of active virus circulation in the area.
He said some outbreaks that were detected outside of the DMA were successfully contained with no sign of outward spread of the disease.
'An abattoir in the Vryheid area in the DMA is in the process of being designated to slaughter animals from premises under FMD restrictions. A system has been put in place to assess the level of biosecurity on individual farms, with the intention of aligning the control measures to the biosecurity risks,' the minister explained.
Mpumalanga
Meanwhile, the minister said a single outbreak was reported on a single farm in the Gert Sibande Municipality in Mpumalanga, in April, which was identified as a trace forward from an auction in KZN.
'Following one round of targeted surveillance of surrounding farms, there are no signs that this outbreak spread to any adjacent farms or other linked locations. The department has started with the second round of surveillance,' the minister said.
Gauteng
In addition, in Gauteng, new FMD cases have been confirmed in the West Rand and East Rand.
The minister noted that an outbreak at a feedlot and adjacent farm were found to be positive in the West Rand Municipality. Initially, the outbreak was linked to an auction in Heidelberg, however follow-up epidemiological investigation indicated a different infection source.
'Veterinary services are testing adjacent premises and linked locations to determine the origin of this outbreak and possible spread.'
Additional cases were detected in communal cattle in the East Rand in May.
Samples were collected and FMD infection was confirmed. Epidemiological investigations have commenced to identify and test all adjacent and linked locations.
Suspension of beef imports
The minister announced that the People's Republic of China has suspended imports of cloven-hoofed animals and related products from South Africa due to the spread of the outbreaks in KZN to Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
'Preliminary information obtained confirmed that this suspension includes only beef from South Africa to China. The good news is that the export of wool that complies with the protocol already agreed to has not been affected,' the minister said.
He has also urged livestock owners and traders to take note of the incubation period of FMD.
He reminded farmers that FMD has an incubation period of up to 14 days, during which animals can appear clinically healthy, before they start showing clinical signs generally associated with FMD.
'It is crucial that newly bought animals are kept separate from the resident herd for at least 28 days, even if a health attestation was issued for the animals. The health attestation and 28-day separation have been a legal requirement since October 2022.'
Biosecurity
Minister Steenhuisen emphasised the importance of national co-operation in halting the spread of FMD.
'Biosecurity is everybody's responsibility. The department urges all livestock farmers in the country to limit animal movement as far as possible.
'Auctioneers and livestock owners should be vigilant when buying cloven-hoofed animals from provinces in which there are active FMD outbreaks. No cloven-hoofed animals should be accepted from areas under restriction for FMD,' said the minister. – SAnews.gov.za
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