Rustenburg - Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza should reconsider and revoke the ban on the movement of cattle, so says the ActionSA in the Eastern Cape.
Didiza announced on Tuesday that all movement of cattle in South Africa would be suspended for 21 days due to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak.
She said that the country was currently experiencing 116 outbreaks of FMD involving farms, feed lots and communal areas in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Free State.
"ActionSA is inundated by complaints and outrage at this latest impulsive reaction by the minister because it threatens to destroy the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and farm workers.
"There are livestock auctions and breeding stock sales that happen every day in SA that are crucial to the well-being of the red meat industry and equally important to the food security chain for millions of South Africans across the country," said Eastern Cape provincial chairperson, Atholl Trollip.
"While we appreciate the minister’s valid need to control the outbreak, we believe that there are more sensible alternatives to this ban.
“We also find the exemption of the movement of cattle for ritual slaughter arbitrary and therefore irrational. If the minister believes that movement should be banned, then all movement should be banned," he said.
He said FMD is a notifiable livestock disease that is best controlled by quarantining infected livestock accompanied by the commensurate veterinary interventions required to prevent the spread of the disease.
"This perforce requires all state veterinary and agricultural extension services to collaborate in isolating and controlling the spread of the disease.
"The reason why this disease is not being effectively controlled and contained is that these state services have, for all intents and purposes, all but collapsed, so effective quarantining, control and eradication by euthanasia if necessary, of infected herds is not taking place."
On the other hand, the DA said it welcomed the decision to suspend cattle movement for the next 21 days in order to curb further spread of food and mouth disease.
"While there was no explanation by the minister as to how small livestock and game were exempted from this ban, a farmer in the FMD controlled zone raised his concerns about how kudus infected his cattle after jumping the fence to his farm. Twice, his farm was brought to a standstill due to the infection from game," said Noko Masipa, the party member on the portfolio committee on agriculture, land reform and rural development.
He said restricting the transport of livestock cannot be a long-term solution, adding that the department has failed to produce a plan to combat the continuous FMD outbreaks for smallholder livestock farmers.
"These farmers’ cattle roam the streets of cities and rural villages, and their animals are not fenced at all. They farm from their backyards and they need help. Often these smallholder farmers are the ones complaining about stock theft – these stolen animals could be the biggest spreader of FMD,“ he said.
IOL