Latest news with #Foot-and-MouthDisease
IOL News
22-07-2025
- Health
- IOL News
South Africa's livestock industry under siege: Steenhuisen's call for urgent reforms
Minister John Steenhuisen delivers the opening address at the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Indaba, outlining urgent reforms to strengthen South Africa's livestock disease response system. Image: File In a hard-hitting address at the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Indaba on Monday, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen painted a stark picture of South Africa's livestock industry under siege, not just from disease outbreaks but from a 'broken system' plagued by policy failure, institutional fatigue and outdated response models. Speaking to a packed venue of scientists, veterinarians, agricultural leaders and government officials, Steenhuisen warned that if the country continues with its current fragmented approach, it will remain vulnerable to future outbreaks and economic devastation. 'What we saw was a response system stretched to its limits, with breakdowns in communication, severe delays in vaccine availability, confusion over movement controls, and an alarming lack of readiness at several levels of government,' said Steenhuisen. 'Farmers were unsure of the measures. Provinces were uncertain of the protocols. And while the virus spread, trust in the state's capacity to respond continued to erode.' The minister identified four urgent areas of reform: regionalisation, vaccine security, infrastructure development, and investment in research and development. He announced the appointment of senior veterinarians Dr Emily Mogajane and Dr Nomsa Mnisi to lead the development of a national regionalisation framework that will define disease control zones, improve provincial coordination, and align with constitutional mandates. 'The failure to regionalise is not due to a lack of veterinary science. It is due to a lack of institutional coordination, legal clarity and capacity,' he said, emphasising that trade partners penalised the entire country despite outbreaks being limited to specific zones. Addressing vaccine shortages, Steenhuisen called for private sector co-investment in a national vaccine bank. 'We were compelled to import vaccines from Botswana just to mount even a partial response. This is unsustainable,' he said. 'If you want predictability, you must also invest.' Infrastructure was also in the spotlight, particularly in FMD protection zones. Steenhuisen announced new fiscal allocations to build local feedlots and abattoirs in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, aiming to curb illegal livestock movement that undermines disease control. 'These facilities will provide alternatives to illicit trade. They will create rural jobs,' he said. Looking ahead, the minister underscored the importance of animal science and climate resilience. 'We must elevate the Agricultural Research Council to the same level as its international counterparts,' he said, proposing partnerships with institutions like the University of Pretoria's Biosecurity Hub and leveraging statutory levies for R&D. But the message was not only one of critique, it was a rallying cry for unity and action. 'This Indaba is not about apportioning blame. It is about fixing what has gone wrong,' Steenhuisen said. 'We must break the cycle of reactive containment and move toward proactive, coordinated disease management.' IOL News
IOL News
02-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
How foot-and-mouth disease is crippling South Africa's feedlots
As South Africa continues to battle Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), feedlots across the country are bearing the brunt of the crisis Image: File As South Africa continues to battle Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), feedlots across the country are bearing the brunt of the crisis, facing severe operational, financial challenges that threaten the stability of the red meat industry. IOL previously reported that South Africa has been battling FMD for several months, prompting key trading partners, including Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, and China, to suspend imports of meat and related animal products from the country. According to Dewald Olivier, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Red Meat Industry Services, with movement restrictions in place in FMD control zones, many feedlots are unable to send cattle to abattoirs for slaughter. He added that affected feedlots must implement costly biosecurity measures and are cut off from formal slaughter markets, leading to backlogs of finished cattle and cash flow pressures. "Affected feedlots have been forced to implement costly biosecurity protocols, including segregation of animals, enhanced sanitation, and constant veterinary oversight. "Affected feedlots are effectively cut off from formal slaughter markets, including domestic abattoirs and export channels. This has resulted in a backlog of finished cattle with no viable outlet and significant cash flow pressure due to delayed sales and increased operational costs," Olivier said. Olivier also noted that the outbreak has caused regional price volatility. 'National retailers have maintained overall meat availability, but regional supply disruptions have caused price volatility, particularly in provinces directly impacted by FMD controls". Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ He warned that unless movement restrictions ease and vaccination efforts improve, red meat prices may remain unstable. "Expect regional price disparities—depressed prices in FMD zones due to oversupply, and firmer prices elsewhere due to restricted supply". Last week, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen confirmed that mass vaccination efforts against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) have started in Gauteng. "We have put aside R43 million for the purchase of vaccinations. We haven't spent all of it, but the first batch of 900,000 vaccines has arrived, and we also plan to purchase more vaccines,' he said. However, Olivier said that the government's response to the crisis has been "partially effective" "While there are isolated successes, the response is constrained by structural weaknesses, fragmented decision-making, and a lack of strategic coherence". IOL Business Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel
The Hindu
28-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Special vaccination camps for cattle against FMD in Salem
District Collector R. Brindha Devi said that special vaccination camps will be conducted for cattle against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) from July 2 to 31. The Collector said that the Animal Husbandry Department and the Milk Producers Cooperative Society will jointly conduct the seventh round of free FMD vaccination for all livestock. FMD is a viral infectious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals and causes fever and blisters. The disease easily spreads through unhygienic maintenance of farms and through the urine, saliva, and farm waste of infected cows. This causes infertility in cows, reduced milk production, and skin problems. It affects the productivity of bulls and increases mortality, causing huge losses to livestock farmers. In order to prevent this deadly disease, all cattle and buffaloes in the state are vaccinated free of cost every six months under the Foot and Mouth Disease Prevention Programme. Under the approved action plan, from July 2 to July 31, in Salem , the vaccination will be carried out for cattle over four months of age through 149 teams in the veterinary dispensaries, in the respective panchayats. Farmers are requested to bring their cattle on the day of vaccination and be benefitted , Ms. Devi added.
eNCA
11-06-2025
- Health
- eNCA
Producers mount coordinated response to FMD outbreak
JOHANNESBURG - The red meat industry is on high alert. A Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak is spreading, with confirmed cases in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng. Now, the Red Meat Industry Services has set up a dedicated operations centre. It will monitor and mount a full-scale, time-bound response to the threat. Just last week, Karan Beef, one of the biggest producers, detected the disease at its Heidelberg facility. Dewald Olivier, CEO of Red Meat Industry Services, said vaccinations have started. "It seems like the spread within the Karan Beef lot has slowed down a little bit, and it also seems like an outbreak in Vosloorus is also slowing down," Olivier said. "It's going fairly well at this stage, we're just waiting for vaccines to arrive from Botswana, and then we can start with full-scale vaccination of the cattle."
IOL News
11-06-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Government ramps up vaccine efforts to combat foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in KZN
Minister of Agriculture John Steehuisen said that the Government will be increasing vaccines to address the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) in KZN Image: Pexels Minister of Agriculture John Steehuisen on Monday announced a significant increase in vaccine supplies in KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to combat the ongoing outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). This announcement comes in the wake of urgent calls from livestock commodity groups united under the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) for the province to be declared a disaster area due to the severe implications of FMD on local livelihoods. During his address at the TMR Conference hosted by the Milk Producers Organisation on Monday, Steehuisen FMD has severely impacted the red meat industry since the outbreaks in 2019. 'It has closed doors to critical markets. It disrupted supply chains. And it sent shockwaves through producer confidence. We have learned some hard lessons. We cannot achieve prosperity through exports without credible, science-based, and trusted disease control systems,' he said. Steenhuisen added that the department was working closely with industry through joint command structures to improve surveillance and rapid response. 'But we know this is not enough. We need a sustainable, nationally coordinated FMD vaccination programme that meets the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH); upgraded veterinary infrastructure, and strong biosecurity protocols, not only at our borders but at farm level, transport corridors, and auction sites.' 'South Africa must adopt a system that meets international traceability requirements - digital, decentralised, and inclusive We are prioritising the finalisation of the National Traceability Framework, and we will continue to support farmer compliance through targeted technical support.' Steehuisen said the department has ordered vaccines to cover the KZN area, while assessment, as well as forward and backward tracing of the outbreak in Gauteng is ongoing. 'These plans are not only about responding to outbreaks, but it's also about building permanent infrastructure to manage future risks.' The Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) said it has implemented Phase 1 of its coordinated response to the ongoing Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak. 'Located at RMIS headquarters in Pretoria, the Operational Centre is being developed in a phased approach to ensure rapid implementation, relevance, and operational efficiency,' it said. 'To ensure immediate functionality, Phase 1 focuses on establishing the core operational capabilities of the OC. This phase lays the groundwork for effective coordination and control, with the following key components.' RMIS added that they were utilising a national network of 177 Ruminant Private Veterinarians conducting daily surveillance of FMD. It said that suspected FMD cases reported by the private veterinarians were mapped in real time on the RMIS Platform, which was specifically developed for this purpose. 'Each case's status is continuously updated and displayed on the platform, providing a national bird's-eye view of the outbreak. This visual overview supports effective disease management and decision-making within the Operational Centre.' RMIS added that the FMD contingency plan outlined a clear step-by-step process to be followed once a suspected case is identified by a veterinarian. 'The Operational Centre will support the coordination of this process, facilitating communication and action between the farmer, private veterinarian, state veterinarian, laboratory, and the Department of Animal Health, to ensure accurate execution within the recommended timeframe.' RMIS said that updates on case status and outbreak mapping will be communicated directly to veterinarians through the RMIS Platform via WhatsApp, ensuring fast, accurate, and streamlined information delivery. 'In Phase 2, RMIS plans to introduce a public reporting channel for suspected animal movements in collaboration with various organised agricultural organisations. This will be followed by Phase 3, which will see the integration of an electronic risk assessment and movement permit system into the RMIS platform also through collaboration with various organised agricultural organisations.' BUSINESS REPORT
