Farmers cautioned about sourcing livestock

FARMERS across the country have been cautioned about the risk of buying livestock of unknown origin following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the North West, Gauteng and the Free State.

Western Cape MEC for Agriculture Dr Ivan Meyer has warned farmers that there is a high risk of spreading footand-mouth disease (FMD) through the movement of cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals to other areas.

He said the Western Cape Department of Agriculture is cautioning farmers about the risk of buying livestock of unknown origin.

“According to State Vet Dr Vivien Malan, animals can be spreading the disease without showing any clinical signs of foot-and-mouth disease as they shed the virus before any signs of the disease can be seen.

“Foot-and-mouth disease is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock, including cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. The virus is found in all body fluids, such as saliva, urine, faeces, milk and the air that diseased animals expel. Animals get this disease when eating or breathing in the virus from these body fluids. People can also spread the virus through contaminated clothing, shoes, hands, equipment and tyres,” Meyer said.

Farmers were advised on how to protect their livestock:

Be vigilant about where new animals come from. Do not buy animals if you do not know their origin or if they come from a place where they had contact with other animals of unknown origin. Only buy from owners with known healthy animals, preferably who can provide a health attestation for their animals from a vet.

Keep new animals separate for two weeks and monitor them for any signs of disease before mixing them with the rest of your herd. Infected animals can take two weeks before showing signs of FMD.