Update by Food For Mzansi on Monday, 8 July 2024: Since this article was originally published, the department of agriculture has approved the voluntary preventative foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination of susceptible herds. This approval is subject to individual application review from affected farmers.
Ensuring biosecurity is key in South Africa’s rich agricultural landscape, where recent outbreaks of a new foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) variant have struck dairy farms in the Eastern Cape with alarming speed.
Fanie Ferreira, chief executive of the Milk Producers Organisation (MPO), said, “At the moment, we have between 12 and 15 farms affected, and it’s spreading within 4 to 5 days, severely impacting small farms,” he said.
Regarding vaccination, Ferreira mentioned that a vaccine is available, but it can only be administered once livestock have tested positive and under the supervision of state veterinarians.
“This is currently a major issue. We have never seen such a dense population of affected animals in South Africa.
“We are unable to vaccinate preventatively due to legal restrictions, and a significant problem is the shortage of vaccines. The government did not order sufficient quantities, resulting in many farmers being affected when vaccines ran out,” he explained.
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Ferreira noted that the disease manifests differently in dairy cattle compared to beef cattle, severely affecting the cows’ udders and impacting nearly all production cows.
“It’s too early to predict if we will see a decline, but this outbreak has significantly affected our production system in South Africa. Approximately a third of our milk comes from the Eastern Cape, and if this continues, it could seriously impact production,” he added.
Collaborative efforts
Meanwhile, the Western Cape Foot-and-Mouth Working Group, chaired by Jaco van den Berg, chairman of the RPO Western Cape, recently convened to address the threat posed by FMD.
Van den Berg highlighted the main challenges faced by all stakeholders in the red meat industry and discussed strategies to address them.
He mentioned that the department provided updates on the current status of FMD, precautions to prevent its spread to the Western Cape, and planned responses if an outbreak occurs.
“It’s crucial that every producer takes proactive steps to ensure their biosecurity measures are effective. This initiative, involving stakeholders from the red meat industry, aims to disseminate accurate information through appropriate channels supported by solid evidence,” he emphasised.
Louis Wessels, manager of legal services at Agri Western Cape, stressed the importance of effective communication among all stakeholders in the red meat industry and the need for proactive measures to prevent FMD from reaching the Western Cape.
Van den Berg confirmed that the Western Cape FMD Working Group will meet fortnightly, with the next meeting scheduled for 18 July 2024, to monitor developments. Updates will be shared with members of relevant organisations.
The department of agriculture underscored the critical nature of the incubation period for FMD, during which infected animals may appear healthy but can spread the virus before showing signs of illness.
According to the department, several measures have been implemented, including placing locations confirmed positive for FMD by the Eastern Cape Provincial Veterinary Services under quarantine.
ALSO READ: ICYMI: Foot-and-mouth outbreak hits Eastern Cape again
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