SA could lift cattle movement ban in some provinces
South Africa's Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is considering lifting the ban on the movement of cattle in provinces with no cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the coming week.
A 21-day ban was implemented on 18 August, aimed at curbing the spread of FMD, among the world's most infectious animal illnesses.
Veterinary-certified cattle can still be moved from farms to abattoirs, but no stopping is allowed en-route. Cattle may be slaughtered for own use or cultural or religious purposes, if done on the same premises where the cattle are kept prior to slaughter.
At the end of the first week (25 August), 11 new outbreaks of FMD were confirmed - five each in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State and one in Gauteng. That brought the total number of infected properties to 127.
The department suspects these new cases were likely already on the farms at the time when the ban was initiated, and some are neighbours of already infected properties.
The ban will remain in place and the department reconsider it at the end of the second week. Last week Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza met with premiers and executives in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State to encourage support from all role players.
"We regret the economic impact of the disease to farming enterprises. The [ban] was not taken lightly. The medium to long term impact on the livestock industry was at the centre of the decision," the department said in a statement on Wednesday.
It has received mixed messages from the industry about the decision to implement the ban. Some have criticised it for not having discussed with industry more before implementing the ban and for not acting sooner, but most support for the move.
Routine surveillance in and around infected areas and properties will still continue. Over 39 properties have been visited in the Free State and five tested positive.
Reports of suspicions of the ban being broken led to inspections at 28 properties. However, none of the samples taken tested positive for FMD. Vaccination of affected properties continued during the past week, with 19 000 cattle vaccinated in Gauteng, 26 073 in Mpumalanga and 2 500 in KwaZulu-Natal.
Experts predict the ban will probably not create an immediate shortage of beef, but it will influence the market. They say SA could face a beef shortage in December due to the ban.-Fin24
A 21-day ban was implemented on 18 August, aimed at curbing the spread of FMD, among the world's most infectious animal illnesses.
Veterinary-certified cattle can still be moved from farms to abattoirs, but no stopping is allowed en-route. Cattle may be slaughtered for own use or cultural or religious purposes, if done on the same premises where the cattle are kept prior to slaughter.
At the end of the first week (25 August), 11 new outbreaks of FMD were confirmed - five each in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State and one in Gauteng. That brought the total number of infected properties to 127.
The department suspects these new cases were likely already on the farms at the time when the ban was initiated, and some are neighbours of already infected properties.
The ban will remain in place and the department reconsider it at the end of the second week. Last week Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza met with premiers and executives in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State to encourage support from all role players.
"We regret the economic impact of the disease to farming enterprises. The [ban] was not taken lightly. The medium to long term impact on the livestock industry was at the centre of the decision," the department said in a statement on Wednesday.
It has received mixed messages from the industry about the decision to implement the ban. Some have criticised it for not having discussed with industry more before implementing the ban and for not acting sooner, but most support for the move.
Routine surveillance in and around infected areas and properties will still continue. Over 39 properties have been visited in the Free State and five tested positive.
Reports of suspicions of the ban being broken led to inspections at 28 properties. However, none of the samples taken tested positive for FMD. Vaccination of affected properties continued during the past week, with 19 000 cattle vaccinated in Gauteng, 26 073 in Mpumalanga and 2 500 in KwaZulu-Natal.
Experts predict the ban will probably not create an immediate shortage of beef, but it will influence the market. They say SA could face a beef shortage in December due to the ban.-Fin24
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