By Amy Musgrave
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen is concerned about the slow pace by his department to combat the outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in KwaZulu-Natal.
He has ordered officials from the Agriculture Department to explore declaring a state of disaster in the province.
“This lack of sufficient action is jeopardising farmers’ livelihoods, the agricultural industry and the economy. This needs to stop. Immediately,” Steenhuisen said on Wednesday.
Many farmers and community leaders told the minister during a recent visit to the province that the department was not effectively addressing the outbreak.
KwaZulu-Natal has been grappling with 147 active FMD outbreaks, and despite ongoing efforts by the department, new infections emerged outside designated Disease Management Areas (DMA) that were declared in 2021 when outbreaks of the SAT2 FMD strain first emerged in the province.
Steenhuisen extended the DMA boundaries last month to curb the spread of the disease.
“The reports we continue to receive from KwaZulu-Natal regarding the persistent and, in some cases, expanding foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks are of great concern. This, with the slow progress in strengthening our national biosecurity and acquiring vital vaccines, presents significant risks that this government views with serious concern.
“I have directed the department to identify and lift every single impediment standing in the way of vaccines being delivered in a timely manner,” the minister said in a statement.
In the meantime, Steenhuisen has instructed department officials to contact the police and the Road Traffic Management Corporation to prioritise and assist with roadblocks and the management of the movement of animals.
They must also focus on alternative sites for the sale of livestock and identify abattoirs within the DMA to provide an alternative for farmers.
Other priorities are procuring and providing enough vaccines to meet the demand for a comprehensive vaccine roll-out and exploring mechanisms to declare a state of disaster in the province.
The minister has ordered that the implementation of a permit system be monitored.
“The current control measures, while necessary, are clearly insufficient to contain these outbreaks effectively. The legislative requirement under the Animal Diseases Act… for owners to stop the spread of disease must be supported by effective government leadership and enforcement,” Steenhuisen said.
This must include increased surveillance, firm enforcement and providing farmers with the support and know-how they need to implement effective biosecurity.
Meanwhile in the Eastern Cape, the department continues to make progress in containing FMD.
Steenhuisen said the lifting of the DMA restrictions has been delayed due to recent suspicious results on two properties.
One test result has come back negative, and the department is waiting for the outcome of the second to decide on the way forward.
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