‘FMD contingency plan needs government input’

The South African red meat industry has formulated a contingency plan that will allow for rapid and decisive action and decision-making to effectively manage and control foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

This followed the national FMD information day held recently in Bothaville in the Free State, according to Gerhard Schutte, chairperson of the National Animal Health Forum.

He told Farmer’s Weekly that input from government’s Directorate of Animal Health in the contingency plan was crucial.

“We, as the industry, need the Directorate of Animal Health to become involved in the contingency plan to guide state veterinarians to detect, report and contain FMD in animals as quickly as possible. This is extremely important in the quest to minimise the impact of the disease on food security and the economy, while protecting public health and the environment,” Schutte said.

According to him, the recent swift action taken by Minister Thoko Didiza of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to cull animals that were illegally moved, and to slaughter animals that tested positive for FMD, was commendable.

He added that her decisions in this regard created peace of mind for both the red meat fraternity and South Africa’s trade partners.

Didiza recently announced that animals moved from FMD zones, by individuals who did not have the necessary paperwork, would be forfeited to government and culled.

Schutte added that the industry was in favour of the criminal prosecution of those individuals found to be moving cattle illegally, and was committed to sharing any possible information to assist with the apprehension and prosecution of such individuals.

Another matter that needed to be clarified with government was the matter of the approval of abattoirs to slaughter infected animals.

“We would like to propose and assist with a commodity-based trading project aimed at possibly marketing the products from FMDapproved abattoirs in FMD zones.

“During the 2019 FMD outbreak, the [Red Meat] Abattoir Association drafted guidelines on abattoirs approved for slaughtering infected animals or animals from FMD areas.

“This document should be urgently revisited and finalised as a subsection of the FMD contingency plan,” Schutte said. – Annelie Coleman