Foot-and-mouth vaccine rollout starts

DAYS after President Cyril Ramaphosas declaration of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) as a national disaster in his State of the Nation Address (Sona), Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen was on hand in the Western Cape yesterday, where the province’ vaccine rollout started.

- THEOLIN TEMBO.

Premier Alan Winde, as well as Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism MEC Dr Ivan Meyer, oversaw the mass vaccination of livestock against FMD disease in the Fisantekraal area in Cape Town.

The vaccinations form part of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture's 21-point action plan to combat the national FMD outbreak in the Western Cape, where the Department of Agriculture will deploy veterinarians and animal health technicians to vaccinate about 450 cattle.

The provincial government has been intensifying efforts to safeguard the province's R13.5 billion livestock sector. Winde said the province has been relatively free of FMD, and the cattle they were vaccinating were free-roaming cattle to minimise the risk. He said none of the cattle vaccinated had tested positive for FMD, and they were being proactive.