Producers mount coordinated response to FMD outbreak
JOHANNESBURG - The red meat industry is on high alert.
A Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak is spreading, with confirmed cases in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
Now, the Red Meat Industry Services has set up a dedicated operations centre.
It will monitor and mount a full-scale, time-bound response to the threat.
Just last week, Karan Beef, one of the biggest producers, detected the disease at its Heidelberg facility.
Dewald Olivier, CEO of Red Meat Industry Services, said vaccinations have started.
"It seems like the spread within the Karan Beef lot has slowed down a little bit, and it also seems like an outbreak in Vosloorus is also slowing down," Olivier said.
"It's going fairly well at this stage, we're just waiting for vaccines to arrive from Botswana, and then we can start with full-scale vaccination of the cattle."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
4 days ago
- The Citizen
Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in North West confirmed
'Tissue samples were sent to the laboratory and the results came back confirming both SAT 2 and SAT 3 types of the virus.' The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has confirmed an outbreak of the Foot and Mouth Disease in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District, specifically in the JB Marks Local Municipality. This comes after South Africa's largest beef producer, Karan Beef, confirmed an outbreak of the disease at its Heidelberg feedlot in the province of Gauteng. Provinces that already have cases include Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal. FMD is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock that has a significant economic impact. The disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants. The disease is characterised by fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats and between the hooves. It causes severe production losses, and while the majority of affected animals recover, the disease often leaves them weakened and debilitated. ALSO READ: Why beef producers are still optimistic about 2025, despite foot-and-mouth disease warning In a statement, departmental spokesperson Emelda Setlhako said the Department was first alerted by a Private Veterinarian who had visited the farm and saw suspicious signs. 'The State Veterinarian collected samples, which were sent to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI) to test for the disease.' Another incident was first detected at an abattoir in the Madibeng Local Municipality. The clinical signs of the affected animals were missed at ante-mortem inspection but were detected on the slaughter line during the Meat Inspection process. 'Tissue samples were sent to the laboratory, and the results came back confirming both SAT 2 and SAT 3 types of the virus.' Animals transported back Setlhako added that the animals that were not slaughtered were escorted back to a feedlot in Ventersdorp, with a permit from the Red Cross. 'Both farms linked to the outbreak have been put under quarantine, prohibiting the movement of animals and animal products.' He highlighted that the Department of Agriculture has identified all the farms linked to the Gauteng outbreak and is sampling them for testing to confirm whether they are positive or not. 'All such farms have also been put under precautionary quarantine until the test results are back.' ALSO READ: Farmers 'on the edge' over crippling foot and mouth disease 'Any suspected case of Foot and Mouth disease in susceptible animals must be reported to the local State Veterinarian immediately. 'The disease affects cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals (domestic and wild). The major clinical features of the disease include fever, lameness, and the appearance of vesicles and sores in the mouth, feet, and teats.' Anso Bracken, Karan Beef marketing manager, said approximately 120 000 cattle are housed at the Heidelberg facility. The company produces an estimated 100 million kilograms of beef annually from this site alone. Approximately 2% of the herd is currently infected. Vaccines worth R72 million expected The Department of Agriculture said a R72 million shipment of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines will arrive in South Africa by mid-June. Dipepeneneng Serage, Deputy Director-General: Agricultural Production, Biosecurity and Natural Resources Management, told Moneyweb the vaccines are being imported from Botswana 'due to South Africa's limited domestic manufacturing capacity'. The department has estimated the vaccine requirements for the disease for the 2025-2026 financial year at R1.2 billion, with each dose expected to cost around R100. NOW READ: Bird flu: worry not, it is safe to eat eggs and chicken
eNCA
11-06-2025
- eNCA
Producers mount coordinated response to FMD outbreak
JOHANNESBURG - The red meat industry is on high alert. A Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak is spreading, with confirmed cases in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng. Now, the Red Meat Industry Services has set up a dedicated operations centre. It will monitor and mount a full-scale, time-bound response to the threat. Just last week, Karan Beef, one of the biggest producers, detected the disease at its Heidelberg facility. Dewald Olivier, CEO of Red Meat Industry Services, said vaccinations have started. "It seems like the spread within the Karan Beef lot has slowed down a little bit, and it also seems like an outbreak in Vosloorus is also slowing down," Olivier said. "It's going fairly well at this stage, we're just waiting for vaccines to arrive from Botswana, and then we can start with full-scale vaccination of the cattle."
IOL News
11-06-2025
- IOL News
Government ramps up vaccine efforts to combat foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in KZN
Minister of Agriculture John Steehuisen said that the Government will be increasing vaccines to address the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) in KZN Image: Pexels Minister of Agriculture John Steehuisen on Monday announced a significant increase in vaccine supplies in KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to combat the ongoing outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). This announcement comes in the wake of urgent calls from livestock commodity groups united under the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) for the province to be declared a disaster area due to the severe implications of FMD on local livelihoods. During his address at the TMR Conference hosted by the Milk Producers Organisation on Monday, Steehuisen FMD has severely impacted the red meat industry since the outbreaks in 2019. 'It has closed doors to critical markets. It disrupted supply chains. And it sent shockwaves through producer confidence. We have learned some hard lessons. We cannot achieve prosperity through exports without credible, science-based, and trusted disease control systems,' he said. Steenhuisen added that the department was working closely with industry through joint command structures to improve surveillance and rapid response. 'But we know this is not enough. We need a sustainable, nationally coordinated FMD vaccination programme that meets the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH); upgraded veterinary infrastructure, and strong biosecurity protocols, not only at our borders but at farm level, transport corridors, and auction sites.' 'South Africa must adopt a system that meets international traceability requirements - digital, decentralised, and inclusive We are prioritising the finalisation of the National Traceability Framework, and we will continue to support farmer compliance through targeted technical support.' Steehuisen said the department has ordered vaccines to cover the KZN area, while assessment, as well as forward and backward tracing of the outbreak in Gauteng is ongoing. 'These plans are not only about responding to outbreaks, but it's also about building permanent infrastructure to manage future risks.' The Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) said it has implemented Phase 1 of its coordinated response to the ongoing Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak. 'Located at RMIS headquarters in Pretoria, the Operational Centre is being developed in a phased approach to ensure rapid implementation, relevance, and operational efficiency,' it said. 'To ensure immediate functionality, Phase 1 focuses on establishing the core operational capabilities of the OC. This phase lays the groundwork for effective coordination and control, with the following key components.' RMIS added that they were utilising a national network of 177 Ruminant Private Veterinarians conducting daily surveillance of FMD. It said that suspected FMD cases reported by the private veterinarians were mapped in real time on the RMIS Platform, which was specifically developed for this purpose. 'Each case's status is continuously updated and displayed on the platform, providing a national bird's-eye view of the outbreak. This visual overview supports effective disease management and decision-making within the Operational Centre.' RMIS added that the FMD contingency plan outlined a clear step-by-step process to be followed once a suspected case is identified by a veterinarian. 'The Operational Centre will support the coordination of this process, facilitating communication and action between the farmer, private veterinarian, state veterinarian, laboratory, and the Department of Animal Health, to ensure accurate execution within the recommended timeframe.' RMIS said that updates on case status and outbreak mapping will be communicated directly to veterinarians through the RMIS Platform via WhatsApp, ensuring fast, accurate, and streamlined information delivery. 'In Phase 2, RMIS plans to introduce a public reporting channel for suspected animal movements in collaboration with various organised agricultural organisations. This will be followed by Phase 3, which will see the integration of an electronic risk assessment and movement permit system into the RMIS platform also through collaboration with various organised agricultural organisations.' BUSINESS REPORT
