2.4 million cattle inspected for foot-and-mouth
The MEC of Agriculture and Rural Development, Thabo Mokone, has appointed a company, The Impact Catalyst, to help them to conduct a full situational analysis and develop a master plan for a province-wide red meat development.
In an interview with the Herald, the MEC said they are forging ahead with a drive to increase the participation of producers in the integrated value chain through support to 5 308 producers across different agricultural commodity groups. “For 2023/24, the support will benefit 8 706 farmers and 9 145 hectares of land would be put into production. The support will contribute to the creation of approximately 11 333 job opportunities. 3 842 subsistence producers who produce mainly for household food sustenance will be supported, as part of ensuring household food security, especially for the vulnerable households,” added Mokone.
He said that in September 2009, the National Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development (DALRRD) found that “South Africa had 151 open foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in the previous FMD free zone, comprised of three outbreak events.” The outbreaks affected Limpopo, North-West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. He said the outbreak last year has been fully contained due to the interventions and efforts by farmers, traditional leaders, animal auctioneers, SANDF, police, and other stakeholders. According to him, 2.4 million cattle were inspected for FMD and other diseases in 2022-2023.
Also read: Foot and mouth disease found in Limpopo province
Awareness campaigns on FMD were held with stakeholders such as traditional leaders, farmers’ unions, animal health forums, and auctioneers. He said a livestock identification and traceability system will be rolled out in the FMD-controlled zones in 2023/24 to assist in curbing the illegal movement of cattle. “We will be hosting two events aimed to mobilise further the involvement of key stakeholders in the development of the livestock industry,” said Mokone. The first will be the Limpopo Livestock Summit to bridge the gap between government, organised agriculture, and the private sector towards a shared vision for sustainable growth and development of the provincial livestock industry.
In addition, an FMD Awareness and Market Access Campaign will be launched to heighten awareness of the FMD-affected farmers and communities as part of planning consultations on the market access programme that is being developed. To implement the above, the veterinary services programme has been allocated R193 187 000. The budget of the programme has increased by 66.36% to enable FMD interventions. He said the department inspectors conducted 570 inspections at abattoirs in the last financial year. “In as much as the main focus has been on the FMD due to its wider negative impact on the livestock industry, we should not forget about the preventative measures for other diseases such as rabies. Mass rabies vaccinations will continue especially in Vhembe and Mopani districts where rabies is endemic,” concluded Mokone.
