Free State farmers demand compensation as foot-and-mouth disease hits herds

A FREE State farmer has revealed losses exceeding R40 million due to the recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, underscoring the severe financial impact the disease is having on livestock farmers across the province.

- WENDY DONDOLO

The revelation came during a three-day oversight visit by Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Agriculture to the Fezile Dabi District, where farmers detailed the scale of the crisis and criticised the provincial Department of Agriculture's response.

The farmer told the committee that no preventative vaccines were administered before the outbreak, and vaccination occurred a long time after his animals became infected.