Mixed response to national FMD vaccinations

The Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, announced on Wednesday 26 November that the Department of Agriculture would be implementing a strategy to vaccinate the entire national cattle herd against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

- Alida de Beer

It will be done systematically, beginning with the hardest-hit provinces - KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the Free State, Mpumalanga and the North West. For this purpose, the department will procure two million vaccine doses by February. It will also establish a new mid-scale vaccine production facility to reduce dependence on imported vaccines, and between government and industry, an additional 1.5 million doses should be made available.

"This initiative will position us to apply to the World Organisation of Animal Health (Woah) for recognition of freedom with vaccination status."

George Kuyler, owner of the Skimmelkrans dairy farm, welcomed this decision. "FMD is a time bomb waiting to explode. We've seen with the outbreak in Gouda it is difficult to police the movement of animals. A countrywide vaccination will protect the industry, although it will have certain outcomes for the exports of certain meat and dairy products.