The Free State government is racing against time to deal with the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. With a total of 17 confirmed cases, the province is the leader in the FMD crisis.
The spokesperson of the department of agriculture and rural development in the Free State, Modiehi Moeng, said the province has four distinct outbreaks across three local municipalities: Kroonstad (Moqhaka Municipality), five confirmed cases; Viljoenskroon (Moqhaka Municipality), seven confirmed cases.
The Deneysville outbreak (Metsimaholo Municipality) had one confirmed case, and Cornelia/Frankfort (Mafube Municipality) had four confirmed cases.
Challenges of communal grazing
Moeng said the department has prioritised vaccination for the infected farms, with vaccination commencing immediately to assist in reducing the viral load and limiting further circulation of the virus.
“Two communal grazing areas have been affected by the current outbreaks. These areas present additional challenges, as movement control of vaccinated animals is more difficult due to shared grazing practices and the lack of adequate fencing in the area. While vaccination has drastically reduced the risk of disease spread, it has not eliminated it entirely.
“Effective control, therefore, requires intensified cooperation between farmers, communal leaders, local municipalities, industry, local communities, and veterinary services to ensure that movement restrictions are respected and that the benefits of vaccination are fully realised,” she said.
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Moeng said movement restrictions have been implemented on all farms within a 10-kilometre radius of the infected farms. The infected farms have been placed under quarantine, and all farms within this radius have been notified and placed under precautionary quarantine until surveillance is completed to determine any further spread of the disease.
Preventing illegal animal movement
“The department urges farmers, industry partners, and all stakeholders to take hands and work together to stop the spread of this disease. This includes identifying and preventing any illegal movement of animals from areas under surveillance and reporting all suspect cases immediately.
“Remaining silent will only prolong the outbreaks and delay the process of returning to normal,” she said.
Moeng said the longer surveillance has to continue, the longer precautionary quarantines will remain in place, increasing both the financial impact on farmers and the economic impact on the Free State Province as a whole.
“With unity, transparency, and cooperation, we can overcome this outbreak and safeguard both our livestock sector and our economy,” she said.
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