South Africa has launched a nationwide livestock vaccination drive to curb the growing outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which has hit one of the country’s largest beef producers, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen announced this week.
Steenhuisen and Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, visited one of South Africa's largest commercial cattle farms in Heidelberg, Karan Beef, where the government kicked off the vaccination campaign.
“It is the first time we'll be vaccinating at a feedlot level to get foot-and-mouth disease under control. The beef industry is exceptionally important to South Africa, both for consumers and economically,” Steenhuisen said.
“Karan Beef, where we are today, accounts for around 30% of the sector. The outbreak has forced a halt in operations, triggering price shocks.”
The contagious disease, which affects cloven-hoofed animals, is not usually fatal but causes fever, blisters, and reduced productivity in infected animals.
Gauteng Chief Veterinarian Dr Wynton Rabolao said the swift action was focused on limiting the spread of the disease so that the country could lift strict movement restrictions.
“The reason why the state is intervening and vaccinating is to try and bring the viral load down and contain the disease. Currently, the farm is under quarantine. Nothing can move in, nothing can move out; even animals ready for slaughter are stuck,” Rabolao said.
Steenhuisen said R72 million had been set aside to purchase foot-and-mouth disease vaccines for all affected cattle across the country.
“On Thursday, 900 000 vaccines purchased from the Botswana Vaccine Institute were received.”
Steenhuisen said officials were also monitoring the movement of affected cattle.
“It's not so much the borders, it's the protocols for the movement of animals that shouldn't be moving – animals that have not been verified as foot and mouth disease free. Animals should not be going to auctions unless they have the right certificates,” he said.
