PRETORIA - Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen wants a state of disaster to be declared due to the escalating outbreak of the foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Steenhuisen outlined the strategy and timelines for vaccination to achieve a disease-free livestock industry.
To date, almost two million animals have been vaccinated since the recent outbreak of the foot and mouth disease.
The current outbreak started in 2021 when animals moved from Phalaborwa to KwaZulu-Natal. The Northern Cape is currently the only province that has never reported an outbreak of FMD.
KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and the North West have been most affected.
“We hope that the state of disaster declaration will allow us through the NatJOINTS system to be able to get greater cooperation from the SAPS, municipal and provincial traffic departments and the SANDF and assist with movement control,” said Steenhuisen.
Outlining the strategy and timelines for vaccination, Steenhuisen said the department will prioritise high-risk zones, with the goal of reaching 80 percent coverage in targeted cattle populations, especially the communal areas and up to 10 percent in feedlots and dairy cows.
“The objective is to, within 12 months, reduce outbreak incidents by 70 percent in high-risk provinces, preserve FMD-free provinces and to buffer vaccinations and strict movement controls.”
He said high-quality vaccines with high potency will be used during the campaign. Over the last month, Steenhuisen said the department had been engaging with vaccine manufacturers around the world.
A local production line which will initially produce 20,000 doses per week has also been activated. The production will scale up to a capacity of 960,000 doses. A task team has also been formed to deal with the scourge.
“The strategy we are employing is not a temporary patch; it is a comprehensive control and eradication programme,” he emphasised.
Interventions in the high-risk provinces will include immediate mass vaccination, which will be repeated within three months. By-annual campaigns will be launched at border hotspots in parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo where recurring infections occur.