Latest news with #AnimalDiseasesAct
Daily Maverick
08-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
Explainer: South Africa's chicken vaccine play may already be too late
South Africa is finally vaccinating its chickens, but unfortunately, it won't protect against the virus that's already shredded the industry. Here's the kicker in the Department of Agriculture's long-delayed greenlighting of mass poultry vaccination: Biosecurity Council proactivity will lead to the roll-out of H5 vaccines that can't protect against the H7N6 strain, the viral villain of the avian flu outbreak of 2023, the country's worst yet. A vaccine for the H7 mutation? Still 'in the registration process,' says the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. Meanwhile, the virus most responsible for wiping out nearly 10 million birds in 2023 is still loitering in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng, like a bad flu that just won't go away. Graphic by Yeshiel Panchia Don't panic, but it's endemic now, circulating in wild birds and on edge-of-recovery farms. And there's no shield against it, not even a metaphorical one. Wait, what is 'biosecurity'? John Steenhuisen has not explained that no farm has yet met the biosecurity protocols required to vaccinate against any strain, according to the South African Poultry Association (Sapa). 'Onerous' and 'prohibitively expensive' are the words the association is using. But this chicken-and-egg situation isn't new. It's the latest act in a decade-long outbreak drama that has seen small farmers bankrupted, prices skyrocket and government agencies perpetually one step behind. Nowhere is the policy and practicality mismatch clearer than in the agriculture department's long-standing 'nil compensation' policy. Graphic by Yeshiel Panchia Chicken and the egg The logic behind the concept introduced in 1984 was sound. In cases where animals are infected with a highly contagious disease, the government mandates their destruction to prevent further outbreaks. The argument for nil compensation is that infected animals have no market value and cannot be sold, making compensation unnecessary. However, the government must balance the interests of farmers with public funds. Paying compensation for infected animals could create financial strain, especially in large-scale outbreaks – especially when financial sanctions were hurting the economy (in 1984). To be fair, the 1986 amendment of the Animal Diseases Act provided for the possibility of compensation. So the move towards a 'nil compensation' policy for avian flu appears to be significantly influenced by the 2009 amendment to Regulation 30, which granted the director discretionary power over compensation amounts and the subsequent interpretation that diseased birds hold no value. A blunt instrument But this approach, cemented after the 2017 outbreak, has arguably done more harm than good. With no safety net, farmers have every reason not to report infections. The results? Delayed containment. Unregulated culls. And, in some cases, infected birds sold into the informal market. That incentive structure came under legal fire last year when a George-based farmer took the state to court over a R32-million loss from 387,000 culled chickens and 5.39 million eggs destroyed in a 2021 outbreak. In a Western Cape Division of the High Court ruling, the judge ordered the agriculture department to reconsider the claim, using the value of the birds in a healthy state as the basis. If enforced, it could open the door to billions in retroactive claims. But enforcement is the key word. As of mid-2025, there's still no confirmation that the agriculture department has changed its stance – or that it will. The future is viral Steenhuisen's department wants vaccination to be the foundation of a future-proof poultry sector. Which is fair, but vaccines alone won't cut it, especially when half the threat is unaccounted for. This is a virus that doesn't just travel across provinces. It migrates with birds, adapts, mutates and ignores borders. And the state's current selective vaccination, compensation and regulation playbook won't fix that. The new Biosecurity Council could help coordinate a smarter response. There's cautious optimism that weekly negotiations between Sapa and the agriculture department might produce more realistic vaccination protocols. The industry is pushing hard for a tiered, affordable system that doesn't just favour industrial-scale producers. But unless H7 vaccines become available soon, and unless the state offers fair compensation and support for biosecurity upgrades, we're looking at a future where avian flu is endemic and chicken is a luxury item. DM
The Citizen
12-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Restrict animal movement as Foot and Mouth Disease spreads
The Department of Agriculture has urged all farmers to limit or eliminate the movement of animals in the country following the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) to Mpumalanga and Gauteng. The disease was first reported in KwaZulu-Natal. 'Two new cases, outside of KZN, have been confirmed. One farm in Mpumalanga, which was identified as part of trace-forward exercises, from a positive auction in Utrecht, KwaZulu Natal. Although these animals showed no clinical signs of disease, further investigation has confirmed that the virus has spread to adjacent camps on the same farm. There are no indications that other farms have become infected, but veterinary services are continuing with clinical inspection and testing of livestock on farms in the area. 'Another farm was reported in Gauteng. Clinical signs suspicious of FMD were noted in a feedlot that received animals from an auction in Heidelberg. Samples were collected and prioritised for testing. Laboratory results for these samples are positive and confirmed that this is the same virus that is circulating in parts of KwaZulu-Natal,' the department said. An epidemiological investigation is underway to 'trace back and trace forward all other animals that were bought and sold at the same auction'. As a result of the outbreak, China has now suspended South African imports of cloven-hoofed animals and related products, including beef. Caution to livestock owners and traders The department has called on livestock owners to note the incubation period for FMD. 'This is a period of two to14 days, within which animals can appear clinically healthy, before they start showing clinical signs generally associated with FMD. 'This highlights the importance of keeping newly bought animals separated 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. 'The department urges all livestock farmers in the whole country to limit animal movement as far as possible. We request auctioneers and livestock owners to be vigilant when buying cloven hoofed animals from provinces where there are active FMD outbreaks. No cloven-hoofed animals should be accepted from areas under restriction for FMD in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga,' the department said. Furthermore, it remains the legal obligation of livestock owners to ensure the health of their animals. Adverse health symptoms must be reported to the local State Veterinarian immediately. 'Section 11 of the Animal Diseases Act imposes a legal duty on any owner or manager of animals to take all reasonable steps to prevent their animals from becoming infected with any disease and to prevent the spread of any disease from their animals or land to other animals or other properties. 'Essential biosecurity measures include limiting and/or postponing the introduction of new animals if at all possible and, if absolutely necessary, only introducing animals from known clean farms with a health declaration, preventing nose-to-nose contact of farm animals with animals outside the farm, maintaining secure farm boundaries, restricting access for people and vehicles as much as possible,' the department said. – At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
11-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Foot and mouth disease spreads to Gauteng and Mpumalanga farms
The Department of Agriculture has urged farmers to limit or eliminate the movement of animals in the country following the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD) to Mpumalanga and Gauteng. The disease was first reported in KZN. 'Two new cases, outside of KZN, have been confirmed. One [is a] farm in Mpumalanga, which was identified as part of trace-forward exercises, from a positive auction in Utrecht, KZN. Although these animals showed no clinical signs of disease, further investigation has confirmed that the virus has spread to adjacent camps on the same farm. There are no indications that other farms have become infected, but veterinary services are continuing with clinical inspection and testing of livestock on farms in the area. 'Another farm was reported in Gauteng. Clinical signs suspicious of FMD were noted in a feedlot that received animals from an auction in Heidelberg. Samples were collected and prioritised for testing. Laboratory results for these samples are positive and confirm that this is the same virus that is circulating in parts of KZN,' the department said. An epidemiological investigation is underway to 'trace back and trace forward all other animals that were bought and sold at the same auction'. As a result of the outbreak, China has now suspended South African imports of cloven-hoofed animals and related products, including beef. Caution to livestock owners and traders The department has called on livestock owners to note the incubation period for FMD. 'This is a period of two to 14 days, within which animals can appear clinically healthy, before they start showing clinical signs generally associated with FMD. 'This highlights the importance of keeping newly bought animals separated 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. 'The department urges all livestock farmers in the whole country to limit animal movement as far as possible. We request auctioneers and livestock owners to be vigilant when buying cloven hoofed animals from provinces where there are active FMD outbreaks. No cloven-hoofed animals should be accepted from areas under restriction for FMD in KZN, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga,' the department said. It remains the legal obligation of livestock owners to ensure the health of their animals. Adverse health symptoms must be reported to the local State Veterinarian immediately. 'Section 11 of the Animal Diseases Act [No 35 of 1984] imposes a legal duty on any owner or manager of animals to take all reasonable steps to prevent their animals from becoming infected with any disease and to prevent the spread of any disease from their animals or land to other animals or other properties. 'Essential biosecurity measures include limiting and/or postponing the introduction of new animals if at all possible and, if absolutely necessary, only introducing animals from known clean farms with a health declaration, preventing nose-to-nose contact of farm animals with animals outside the farm, maintaining secure farm boundaries, restricting access for people and vehicles as much as possible,' the department said. – 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!
