AGRICULTURE NEWS - In an effort to develop long-term solutions to combat Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), a high-level FMD Indaba was held at the Agricultural Research Council in Roodeplaat on 21 and 22 July.

Dr Frikkie Maré, CEO of the National Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO), made several crucial, industry-saving points during his address.   

The RPO is a producer organisation that represents the beleaguered commercial cattle, sheep and goat producers currently in the grip of widespread outbreaks of FMD, with KZN affected the worse.

Maré shared the massive challenges faced by South African red meat producers with regards to market access and quarantine, regulations, varying levels of provincial control and stray animals, putting four problems and solutions on the table.

Market access

• FMD does not kill animals, but it economically cuts the throats of producers as they lose their markets.
• Two important things: Firstly, producers’ revenue, in many cases, is limited to one or two payments per year.
• Secondly, the total gross margin of producers varies from year to year. This means that the timing of when a producer is placed under quarantine, is critical.
• When a producer is placed under quarantine just before weaning, he basically loses his income for that year. This happened in KZN where the Disease Management Area (DMA) was expanded just before the onset of weaning, and those farmers are still sitting with their calves, without income, while they are taken to court for outstanding bills.
• The past two years were very difficult for livestock producers in terms of market conditions. This means that farmers currently have very little to no reserves to fall back on while they cannot generate revenue.
• Many farmers currently under quarantine will not survive this crisis.

Regulations

• We often hear that FMD is spread by irresponsible producers, not following regulations. This cannot be denied, but irresponsible parties in the rest of the value chain, as well as in government institutions, are also to blame.
• Although many follow the regulations to the letter, others just do not care, and they get away with it.
• Dipepeneneng Serage, the Deputy Director-General (DDG) for Agricultural Production, Biosecurity, and Natural Resources Management, said at a previous meeting that the law is there to be followed, not to be enforced. Although it is certainly the ideal situation, it unfortunately does not always work like that in South Africa.
• If we cannot ensure that regulations are followed by every roleplayer in the value chain, it is in vain.

Provincial control

• Unfortunately, there are major differences between provinces. In some Joint Operational Centres (JOCs), the relationship between government and industry works; in others, it is non-existent.
• Often role players attend only the first meeting, and traffic and police attendees do not know what it is about, what they should do if they stop a vehicle with livestock, or what documentation should accompany the animals.

Fencing Act and stray animals

• Although SA has a fencing act, where you should own or rent fenced land in order to keep animals, it is not enforced.
• The movement of stray and unidentified animals is a major concern and needs to be addressed.
• It does not matter how good your biosecurity measures are, if stray animals graze along your fence or if unidentified animals mix with others at a gathering; all rules, regulations and tracing are in vain.

In conclusion

• Commercial producers are literally living in fear, as many know that their farming days are over if they are quarantined under the current guidelines.

The RPO would like to see solutions for the following problems coming from the Indaba:

• Continued market access for all role players. We believe that it can be achieved by compartmental vaccination by application.
• Regulations that are not only thought through thoroughly, but practical, implementable, agreed to by role players and most importantly, enforced.
• A national blueprint followed by all provinces and training for involved parties on how to deal with a FMD outbreak to eradicate the provincial differences and get law enforcement involved.
• Finally, all role players, big or small, primary or secondary, government or industry, should be treated the same.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and Deputy Minister Nokuzola Capa led the Indaba that brought together top veterinary scientists, agricultural experts and key industry stakeholders.

The current crisis could have been alleviated if only the South African Agricultural Research Council used the funds they received a decade ago to build a FMD vaccine production facility as instructed. 

As the facility was never built, South Africa now has to import all its FMD vaccines from Botswana.  

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