AGRICULTURE NEWS - In the latest update received from the Garden Route Municipality, the latest Foot and Mouth Disease for the Garden Route area are as follows:
Affected municipal area: Mossel Bay
- FMD-affected farms (officially confirmed): 4 (increased with 2)
- FMD-suspect site(s), pending test results: 6 (increased with 2)
- Number of farms vaccinated: 46 (increased with 10)
- FMD-Vaccines administered to date: 8580 (increased with 848)
- Livestock infected: Cattle
- Number of Vehicle Control Points around quarantined area: 9
The Western Cape will 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 will be in the Garden Route on 26 February.
Another 45 000 are expected by the end of next week to be delivered to the Western Cape.
The Northern Cape (50 000 doses), Gauteng (70 000 doses), Mpumalanga (100 000 doses), North-West (100 000 doses), Limpopo (100 000 doses), Eastern Cape (150 000 doses), KwaZulu-Natal (200 000 doses), and Free State (200 000 doses).
State Veterinarian feedback
Latest test results
The Western Cape Provincial Government (WCG) Local State Veterinarian, Dr Leana Janse van Rensburg, received confirmation on 23 February that laboratory results for the suspect farm in George was negative.
However, test results for a heifer farm located 21 km north of the index farm in the Mossel Bay area returned positive. Calves from the index farm had previously been moved to this property on 21 January.
All livestock on the affected farm, as well as on a neighbouring farm, have since been vaccinated. A 3 km quarantine zone has been established around the affected property.
Closure of roads: Applications and roads closed for traffic
Requests for the closure of Western Cape Provincial Roads within the quarantine area must be directed to the GRDM Head of Disaster Management, Gerhard Otto, [email protected]. Residents will be able to access these roads, but not other motorists or cyclists will be allowed past the road closures.
Role players involved in approving these applications, include the GRDM Disaster Management Centre, Department of Agriculture, Agri Western Cape, Western Cape Provincial Government Department of Infrastructure (Roads) and the Road Owner.
Roads that will be closed for traffic:
- Kleinvlei Road (DR01067 bordering the DR01578)
- Sandhoogte Road (DR1583)
Western Cape vaccination priorities
It is important to note that when an animal is vaccinated and exposed to FMD, it gets less sick, shows milder clinical signs (fewer sores, less lameness), and they recover faster.
Phase 1: Infected herd and others within a 3km radius of an index farm (if lesions are found outside 3km, expand to 10km).
Phase 2: Commonage and informal area livestock.
Phase 3: High-risk herds (farms close to free-roaming cattle, close to abattoirs and where there is a lot of movement, etc.).
Phase 4: Dairy herds.
Phase 5: Beef herds.
FMD resources
- All FMD resources, including updates, are uploaded here.
- Western Cape Department of Agriculture updates, are uploaded here.
- WCG FMD Hotline Number: 080 928 4102 (Press 1 for FMD)
- National Dept. Agriculture: 0860 246 640
The next update will be published by 26 February.
Report suspect sites
Garden Route Emergency Call Centre: 044 805 5071 or WhatsApp 081 709 5193
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