GEORGE NEWS - Anxiety levels among all cattle farmers in the George area are running high amid the foot-and-mouth (FMD) outbreak in the Mossel Bay area.
For buffalo breeder Louis van Rensburg from the Geelhoutboom area it is no different, as it affects his farm as well. A consignment of animals that was due to be sent to hunting farms on Monday 23 February had to be cancelled.
“The farm has no income for the duration of the outbreak. I’m sitting on pins and needles in fear of the spread of the virus. I’ve been working since 2012 to build up my herd,” Van Rensburg told George Herald.
The Outeniqua Farmers’ Association announced on Tuesday that its February meeting had been cancelled due to the high risk of FMD.
As of Tuesday 24 February, four farms in the Mossel Bay municipal area have been confirmed to have FMD, while six suspect sites are still awaiting test results.
The suspected case on the Van Greunen Boerdery near George has tested negative, and an investigation into the cause of the symptoms is ongoing while the farm remains under quarantine. Local state veterinarian Dr Leana Janse van Rensburg said chances that the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are wrong are very small.
“Two different vets took samples over two different days. The PCR test is very specific, but it is not a very sensitive test, so you can miss positives. The farm remains under quarantine until we receive the blood results, and then we will be 100% sure.”
Responding to concerns over possible delays in test results because of samples being transported to Onderstepoort by courier instead of by air, Janse van Rensburg said staff are needed on the farms for vaccination and sampling.
“It is a full-day expedition to drop samples off at the airport, and you also have to work according to the flights. So we rather use an overnight courier service appointed by Elsenburg. The courier might in some cases take a day longer than by air.”
She said an additional 16 animal health technicians will be contracted to provide operational support in the Garden Route.
Vaccinations and control measures
As of 24 February, the cattle on 46 farms have been vaccinated, according to the Garden Route Multi-agency Command Centre’s 24 February update.
Altogether 8 580 vaccine doses have been administered in the area since the outbreak on the index farm in the Hartenbos area early in February.
The Western Cape is expected to receive 30 000 doses of FMD vaccines from Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina. Of these, 10 000 doses will be allocated to the Garden Route and are expected to arrive today, 26 February. A further 45 000 doses are expected in the province by the end of next week.
Road closures in quarantine zone
Two roads in the quarantine area, the Kleinvlei Road (DR01067 bordering DR01578) and Sandhoogte Road (DR1583), are currently closed to through traffic and only residents have access.
Other motorists and cyclists will not be allowed through the control points.
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