Latest news with #FMD-free
GMA Network
12-06-2025
- Health
- GMA Network
PH lifts import ban on German beef, animal products
The Philippines, through the Department of Agriculture (DA), has lifted the ban on importing beef and other animal-derived products from Germany. The move was made following the declaration of the European country that it is free from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)—a highly contagious viral infection that affects cloven-hoofed livestock. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., in his Memorandum Order 29, said Germany is now considered FMD-free under the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Animal Health Code. As such, Tiu Laurel said, the risk of contamination from importing FMD-susceptible animals, their products, and by-products "is negligible." The DA chief said German veterinary authorities had submitted all necessary technical documentation and certifications to support the lifting of the ban. The Agriculture Department had imposed the temporary ban in February, after Germany reported confirmed cases of FMD in domestic buffaloes in Hoppegarten, located in the district of Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg. The European country notified the WOAH about its FMD outbreak in January. FMD primarily affects cattle but can also infect pigs, goats, sheep, and other cloven-hoofed animals. The disease, while rarely transmissible to humans, carries high mortality rates—especially among young livestock—and poses serious economic risks to the agriculture sector. In 2024, the Philippines imported 3,177.5 metric tons of beef from Germany, which accounted for about 0.5% of the former's total beef imports. Germany had also been a key pork supplier until 2020, when a separate import ban was imposed due to an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF). The lifting of the FMD ban signals the potential restoration of broader livestock trade between the Philippines and Germany, according to the Agriculture chief. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
IOL News
08-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Red Meat Industry Services activates Operational Centre in response to Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak
Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) said on Friday that it will activate a centralised Operational Centre (OC) at its headquarters on Monday, 9 June 2025, in response to the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak. Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) said on Friday that it will activate a centralised Operational Centre (OC) at its headquarters on Monday in response to the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak. RMIS said the OC will be led by a designated RMIS veterinarian and will oversee a team of veterinary professionals and industry representatives, along with a specialist public relations and public affairs agency, forming the FMD Working Group. 'The FMD Working Group will be mandated to develop and implement a structured, time-bound response to the outbreak, with medium- to long-term goals, including a focus on vaccination among other key areas.' The primary objective of this plan is to guide RMIS in addressing the current FMD situation in South Africa, with a strong focus on protecting red meat role players to ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of the industry. 'This is critical not only for the red meat sector, but also for South Africa's broader agricultural economy, as the outbreak impacts the entire red meat value chain and poses a serious threat to the dairy industry and other sectors connected to red meat production,' it said. Another key aim is to establish public-private partnerships (PPPs) at various levels to support the understaffed public veterinary sector by leveraging private sector expertise and capacity. RMIS added that the immediate responsibilities of the OC are finalising a three-month response framework to address urgent risks and establish a platform for long-term management: The medium-term plan will include two key components: Expanding and supporting the capacity of veterinary services to enhance disease control. Establishing FMD-free livestock compartments supplying all South African red meat abattoirs. RMIS said that the OC's other responsibilities would include: Coordinating with the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) to align with government and industry stakeholders. Evaluating and enhancing the Government Contingency Plan. The Department has shared its contingency plan with the industry, which the FMD Working Group will review and provide feedback. Initiating a local vaccine production strategy, which includes assessing funding requirements, establishing an implementation timeline, and developing a financing model supported by industry funding. Centralising stakeholder communication through the appointed veterinarian, who will report directly to RMIS CEO Dewald Olivier. Implementing an electronic movement permit system: A basic, structured electronic Farmer Declaration system will be developed, communicated, and enforced. Dewald Olivier, the CEO of RMIS, said this is a defining moment for the red meat industry. 'RMIS was established precisely for a time like this - to provide coordinated leadership, technical expertise, and practical solutions in close collaboration with government and industry partners. Our unified efforts today will shape a more secure, sustainable, and competitive future for the industry,' Olivier said. Last week, Business Report reported that the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) livestock farming community called on the government to declare KZN a disaster area due to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). In a joint statement, they called on the government to formally declare FMD a disaster as KZN grapples to contain the spread. 'In 2021, affected areas in the province were declared a Disease Management Area (DMA); the latest resurgence in 2023 has spread beyond this area and necessitated the expansion of the DMA; however, the spread continues outside of these areas.' In response, Dipepeneneng Serage, Deputy Director-General: Agricultural Production, Biosecurity and Natural Resources Management at the Department of Agriculture, said while they understand the seriousness of the FMD situation in KZN and in Gauteng, they don't think declaring a state of emergency is the solution. 'We have declared/gazetted the DMA which is in itself a state of emergency for livestock and farmers. We need farmers to work with the government to adhere to biosecurity regulations. Additionally, to the DMA, we will be issuing directives regarding the movement of animals in SA. BUSINESS REPORT Visit:
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Addressing SA's foot-and-mouth disease: The need for strategic vaccination and traceability
Meat and dairy farmers have been suffering economic setbacks for months due to the restrictions on the movement of livestock. Image: IOL/ RON AI The solution to ridding South Africa of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) lies in traceability, strategic vaccination, domestic production and accurate scientific information. The Department of Agriculture said there were FMD outbreaks in KwaZulu-Natal, which have spread to Mpumalanga and Gauteng. One farm in Mpumalanga was identified as part of trace-forward exercises from a positive auction in Utrecht, KZN, while another farm was reported in Gauteng. That was according to the Freedom Front Plus MP and chief spokesperson on agriculture, Dr Wynand Boshoff, who said meat and dairy farmers have been suffering economic setbacks for months due to the restrictions on the movement of livestock in parts of northern KZN and the Eastern Cape. 'The problem is the requirement that milk from animals in affected areas must be double-pasteurised. Cattle in the affected areas may also not be sold at all,' Boshoff said. 'Commercial and subsistence farmers in the affected parts of KwaZulu-Natal have been unable to sell any livestock since February this year. This has led to the illegal transport of animals and subsequent contamination in other provinces.' Boshoff said South Africa was once FMD-free due to careful, nationwide vaccinations. However, over the past decades, state veterinary services and Onderstepoort Biological Products, which manufactured the vaccine, declined significantly. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'The most pressing issue is that the strict measures imposed by the Department of Agriculture are not based on science. While foot-and-mouth disease is deadly and catastrophic for the entire agricultural ecosystem in the Northern Hemisphere, this is not the case in South Africa,' Boshoff said. He said that in a written response in Parliament, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen confirmed that no cattle died in the latest outbreak and that the disease has not been detected in sheep or goats. Yet the imposed restrictions apply to all cloven-hoofed animals. 'The problem is exacerbated by the high cost of vaccines that are being imported from Botswana, even though South African facilities can produce them at much lower costs. Accreditation remains the major hurdle for these laboratories,' Boshoff said. He said that at current prices, it would cost approximately R5.4 billion over three years to eliminate the disease from the country. 'The solution would only be temporary, though, as buffaloes also carry the disease, and cattle move freely between South Africa and neighbouring countries,' Boshoff said. 'The solution lies in traceability, strategic vaccination, domestic production and accurate scientific information. 'Targeted traceability would ensure that restrictions are only imposed on affected farms.' Meanwhile, during a portfolio committee meeting last week, Department of Agriculture Deputy Director-General Dipepeneneneng Serage said they were going to have to prioritise funding, which they do not have enough of, to procure vaccines and have them shipped into the country. 'Our Agricultural Research Council is able to produce some vaccines but albeit not on a large scale. We've started a process of ensuring that we double the capacity at the Agricultural Research Council to produce additional vaccines so that we rely on our own South African-produced vaccine and no longer rely on vaccines from Botswana,' Serage said. He said some farmer organisations and farmers approached the department and asked it to allow them to purchase vaccines themselves. 'We are going to allow one farm, farmer or farming business this next week or so for them to purchase vaccines directly, but under the supervision of our veterinary services to ensure that they don't wait on state resources, which are dwindling,' Serage said.
TimesLIVE
06-05-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
Animal auctions to blame for foot and mouth disease, says agriculture dept
Outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) are prevalent in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, while the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape remain FMD-free. Giving an update on the status of the outbreak and measures to curb the spread of the disease on Tuesday, the agriculture department said auctions largely contributed to the spread of the disease. Dr Botlhe Modisane, chief director of animal health and production, said auctions have been playing a major role in spreading the disease, particularly the Utrecht auction in KwaZulu-Natal. The department was still seeing animals going to auction spreading the disease because biosecurity rules were not complied with. 'Before 2019 South Africa had free status for FMD. In 2019 we had an outbreak in Limpopo that resulted in the loss of the free status,' Modisane said. Outbreaks in KwaZulu-Natal have been simmering since 2021 but remained contained until the disease started moving from the west to more commercial areas this year.
Scoop
05-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
FAO Calls For Action Amid Foot-And-Mouth Disease Outbreaks
5 May 2025 FMD is a highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and various wild species. Europe is currently facing its worst outbreak so far this century at the same time as an exotic viral strain has been introduced in Iraq and other countries in the Near East. Concern for potential spread ' FAO is recommending urgent biosecurity measures and enhanced surveillance following the recent detection of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) serotype SAT1 in Iraq and Bahrain,' the agency said in analert. 'This serotype is exotic to the Near East and West Eurasia regions,' the agency continued – meaning the strain is not normally found there – which raises 'serious concerns' about its potential spread. FMD is typically characterized by fever and blisters in the mouth and on the feet of affected livestock, accompanied by lameness. Although few adult animals succumb to disease, young ones may die from sudden heart failure. The virus spreads rapidly and can affect large numbers of animals, especially in countries or regions that are usually free of the disease or do not regularly use vaccination. Although FMD is not a public health threat, it severely impacts animal health and welfare, food security and incomes by reducing agricultural productivity, including through decreased milk and meat yields. The economic impact is also substantial, with global direct production losses and vaccination costs in endemic regions estimated to be $21 billion annually. FAO noted that the true economic burden is likely much higher when disruptions to both international and local trade are taken into consideration. A major outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2001 led to the culling of more than six million animals and cost the economy billions, devastating the livestock industry and tourism. A series of new measures in response have reportedly reduced the risk and improved resilience, including local and national contingency plans for outbreaks. Outbreaks and response The FMD virus was recently detected in parts of Europe normally free of the disease and the continent is now experiencing its worst outbreak since 2001. Germany detected an outbreak this past January but has since been declared FMD-free, however subsequent outbreaks in Hungary and Slovakia have persisted. In response, the UK recently announced that it has banned imports of meat or dairy products from European countries where the virus has been detected, as well as Austria due to the outbreak in neighbouring Hungary. FMD is endemic in the Near East, but the recent upsurge is due to an exotic serotype likely introduced from East Africa. Cases have been reported in Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait, although other countries are at high risk. Many strains of the FMD virus continue to circulate in different parts of the world, and the recent outbreaks in both Europe and the Near East highlight the ongoing risk the disease poses to livelihoods, food security and safe trade, said FAO. Raising awareness While all governments are urged to be vigilant, the agency said affected and high-risk countries should consider awareness-raising measures among farmers and communities to protect livestock. Other recommendations include biosecurity measures such as separating sick animals from other livestock and having them examined by professionals, alongside checking vaccination records and verifying FMD contingency plans. FAO said that by implementing these measures, countries can significantly reduce risks.
