Latest news with #R72m
The Citizen
09-06-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Centralised operational centre to deal with the FMD crisis set up
Farmers have welcomed the establishment of the centralised operational centre aimed at addressing the FDM crisis. farmers have welcomed the establishment of the centralised operational centre aimed at addressing the FDM crisis. Picture: CatherineAs foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) continues to ravage the agricultural sector, farmers have welcomed the establishment of the centralised operational centre aimed at addressing the crisis. The centre will be activated today by Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) in response to the widespread of FMD outbreak which is threatening food security and jobs in the country. ALSO READ: Will SA run out of beef and chicken? Animal disease hits SA's top producer — what it means for consumers A plan to address FMD RMIS is a not-for-profit organisation mandated to safeguard animal and public health, expand market access, foster inclusive growth, and ensure long-term industry competitiveness. Dewald Olivier, CEO of RMIS, said the plan was to guide the organisation in addressing the 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. Olivier said a designated RMIS veterinarian would lead the centre and also 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, timebound response to the outbreak, with medium- to long-term goals, including a focus on vaccination among other key areas,' he said. '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 threat to the dairy industry and other sectors connected to red meat production.' Olivier said another key aim was to establish public-private partnerships at various levels to support the understaffed public veterinary sector by leveraging private sector expertise and capacity. '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 will shape a more secure, sustainable, and competitive future for the industry,' he said. ALSO READ: R72m foot-and-mouth vaccine delivery due mid-June A partnership to fight FMD Frikkie Mare, CEO of Red Meat Producers Organisation as one of the founding members of the RMIS, agreed with the establishment of the centre. Mare said it was important to note that FMD was a state-controlled disease and the envisaged centre would not be there to take over the role of government, but rather to assist it in gathering data, proposing action plans for the control of the disease and to digitalise animal movement permits. 'We believe this is a step in the right direction for more effective control of FMD with a partnership between the government and industry,' said Mare. TAU SA general manager Bennie van Zyl has also welcomed the establishment of the centre and said fighting FMD was essential because it was also threatening dairy farmers. 'This joint operation command centre is a very good thing and we support it' said Van Zyl. 'It is important that they actually have a well-functioning mechanism that can help the government to do what needs to be done. We hope that very soon the problem will be resolved. There is a need for everyone to play a role in addressing this problem.' Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen said his department was aware that there was a great deal of anxiety around the various outbreaks of FMD in several provinces. Steenhuisen said the department was working around the clock to address the issue. 'All infected properties are placed under quarantine and no movement is allowed into, out of or through that particular area of the farm,' he said. 'Large areas where individual notices cannot be served have been gazetted as disease management areas. And, of course, the same restrictions apply.' He said the government was embarking upon a vaccination campaign and has set aside more than R70 million for FMD vaccines to inoculate about 900 000 animals. NOW READ: Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak rocks South Africa's cattle industry
The Citizen
01-06-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
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. – Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
28-05-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
Agriculture department intensifies fight against foot-and-mouth disease
Animal movement restrictions in the disease management areas (DMA) in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape will be lifted soon after positive results by the department of agriculture to control and eradicate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The department announced an urgent order was placed for much-needed vaccines to the value of R72m. In an update on FMD on Wednesday, the department said agriculture minister John Steenhuisen escalated control efforts to the deputy director-general (DGG): agricultural production, biosecurity and natural resources management earlier this month. 'The office of the DDG has already engaged veterinary services and various industry representatives to detail the actions required to curb the threat,' it said. The biosecurity, traceability and record keeping of animals bought and sold at auctions and similar industries were raised as a specific concern and this will be addressed by the department in a directive due to be published. Funds for the procurement of the vaccine have been transferred to Onderstepoort Biological Products.
