FMD restrictions are late, but necessary

A little more than a week ago the South African government announced the temporary suspension of the movement of cattle to curb the rampant spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). Industry players say that the action was necessary, albeit a case of too little too late.

“Industry has been wanting the country to prioritise FMD with urgency since its outbreak. We have got to a stage where the 21-day restriction on the movement of cattle is necessary,” says Louw van Reenen, spokesperson for the Red Meat & Livestock Primary Cluster and CEO of Beefmaster Group, a specialist supplier of beef products to local and international markets.

Yesterday Botswana announced the suspension of cloven hoof animal movements following a suspected – not confirmed – case of FMD in the disease control zone in its North East District.

“We congratulate the Government of Botswana for its swift action. This decisive intervention was needed, but lacking, four years ago when FMD was first identified in South Africa, which is why the problem is so pervasive. There is much to learn from this commendable and bold move by our neighbour,” says van Reenen, dispelling the rumour that the FMD problem in the country has its origins in the movement of cattle from neighbouring countries into South Africa.

He says that the battle to get ahead of FMD requires industry and government participation, yet the lack of industry consultations in the lead up to the announcement left the industry to navigate much uncertainty.

“We have always asked that government acknowledges the industry as a critical role-player in the combatting of this disease to effectively manage FMD,” says van Reenen. “Having said that, we are encouraged by positive unintended consequences since the restrictions have been in place.”

Amongst these he includes greater collaboration and the recognition of risks in the beef industry by all players.

“We are seeing a big drive from private and public role-players to solve these and other issues that have been holding the sector back. Traceability and biosecurity are back in the spotlight and stakeholders are starting to see value in it to prevent and manage the risk of large-scale disease outbreaks,” says van Reenen.

The recently gazetted regulation allows for the movement of cattle to a registered abattoir for slaughtering purposes only if strict criteria are met, including having sign-off from a private veterinarian that the cattle being transported are clinically healthy. Processing facilities also need to have a red cross permit from a state veterinarian before animals are allowed to be transported for slaughter.

“We are seeing excellent cooperation by government in fast-tracking the issuing of red cross permits. It is taking seriously our obligation to consumers to ensure the continuous supply of beef.”

However, he says that if the restrictions are extended beyond the 21-day limit, the risk of the decline in supply of beef to consumers becomes high.

“Everyone is impacted by the restrictions, including meat processing facilities, who, together with the feedlots, are not allowed to buy cattle for stock purposes. The longer the ban continues, the more risk it carries to all who operate in the sector. We are hopeful that the disease is brought under control within the three-week period to avoid any negative fall-out,” says van Reenen.

He adds that the way that the industry and government have cooperated on this issue in the last week, serves as a great example of what is possible in the future.

“We need to maintain the way we have been working together. This will be of utmost importance if we are to realise the growth ambitions for the beef sector and overcome the burden of disease,” says van Reenen.

The beef industry plays a significant role in the economy: Beef is being touted to be a major future contributor to the red meat industry’s growth and is expected to add more than R12 billion to South Africa’s agricultural GDP per annum by 2030. FMD not only threatens its viability, but also the country’s export markets.

“The beef industry has been focussed on opening up new markets for our products over the last few years. We cannot afford to lose these export markets, as well as potential new ones, because of the risk of FMD.

“We strongly urge all stakeholders to cooperate in protecting our industry, not become complacent, and to act responsibly in ensuring FMD is brought under control,” concludes van Reenen.

In March 2022 the FMD outbreak resulted in China suspending imports from South Africa of all cloven-hoofed animal goods, including wool, beef and other red meat products. Positively, since 23 August 2022, the suspension on wool exports has been lifted.