Farmers at breaking point

FOOT-AND-MOUTH: OUTBREAK FORCES CANCELLATIONS OF SHOWS, CRIPPLES DAIRY HERDS

- Tshehla Cornelius Koteli

UNDER STRAIN. Livestock and labour alike suffer under the weight of the foot-and-mouth crisis across four provinces.

(Picture: Supplied)

The spread of foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease is tightening its grip on South Africa's livestock sector, pushing farmers closer to the brink as the government promises intervention, while warning its full recovery plan could take more than a decade to deliver results.

Meat and milk prices could rise as a result of the effects on the national beef and dairy herd.

FMD is a highly contagious viral disease of livestock that has a significant economic impact. The disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants.

Northern Cape is the only province that has not reported a case but, in other provinces, the disease threatens dairy farms in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and livestock in the Free State.

Some farmers have started to suffer psychologically because of the idea they might lose everything they have worked for. The financial implications of the disease are also significant.