Farmers are sceptical of Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen’s plan of action for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) status in South Africa.
Combatting FMD was a monumental task that will not happen overnight, Steenhuisen said, adding the department’s strategy will be phased in over 10 years.
FMD
“This is a long-term commitment to the health of our economy and the security of our food supply. Since losing our FMD-free status in 2019, our farmers have faced unprecedented challenges. I have received many pleas for help, from commercial to communal farmers, who have borne the heavy burden of the recent FMD outbreaks in the country.”
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The current outbreak in the country’s cattle started in 2021, when animals moved from Phalaborwa to KwaZulu-Natal, Steenhuisen said.
“Northern Cape is currently the only province that has never reported an outbreak of FMD. To date, we have vaccinated almost two million animals since the recent outbreaks occurred.”
High-risk zones
There were SAT2 (Southern African territories 2 serotype of the virus) FMD outbreaks in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng and Free State; a SAT1 FMD outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal; SAT3 FMD and SAT2 FMD outbreaks in Eastern Cape, one in the Western Cape and SAT3 FMD outbreaks on eight properties in 2021 in Limpopo.
“We are prioritising high-risk zones, with the goal of reaching at least 80% coverage in targeted cattle populations, especially in the communal areas, and up to 100% in feedlots and dairy cows,” Steenhuisen said.
“The objective is to reduce outbreak incidence within 12 months by more than 70% in the high-risk provinces through systematic vaccination and preserve FMD-free provinces through buffer vaccination and strict movement controls.”
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Partnerships
Steenhuisen also announced partnerships with global leaders, such as Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina, which will ensure a reliable supply, with one million doses ready to be sent as soon as the necessary permits are issued.
Vaccines
Vaccines from the Botswana Vaccine Institute will also continue, along with an additional permit to import the Dollvet vaccine from Türkiye.
“Locally, we are activating a production line through the ARC and OBP, which will initially produce 20 000 doses per week, scaling up to 960 000 doses.
“ARC indicated that they can bring forward their production, which will add 12 000 doses to our vaccine pool by mid-February,” he added.
TLU SA chair Bennie van Zyl said that although the minister announced a technically comprehensive strategy, the reality on the ground shows SA is not engaged in effective disease control, but in managing a crisis that is already out of control.
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