This was according to Gerhard Schutte, chairperson of the National Animal Health Forum. He said it was of the utmost importance that decisions on the strategy be executed sooner rather than later.
Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Schutte said that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), African swine fever and highly pathogenic avian influenza, among other diseases, had a serious impact on agricultural production in the country.
For example, the red meat industry was currently losing up to R4 billion annually because of FMD and its impact on meat exports.
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'Agriculture Is a Journey, Not a Race'
Achmad Brinkhuis was named the Agricultural Writers SA's New Entrant for Farming in 2021. He spoke to Lindi Botha about his egg and vegetable operation, and the challenges and opportunities facing his business.
Read this before growing tomatoes
Tomato production can be highly profitable, but you need to choose your tomato type and cultivar with care, says Bill Kerr.
Moving South Africa's apple industry forward
Cape Sweet Nursery is revolutionising the production of apple plant material on dwarfing rootstocks. Farmer Retief du Toit and ZZ2 production manager Hendrik Pohl spoke to Glenneis Kriel about their work.
Tips for small-scale poultry producers
Gladys 'Nana' Towbola of Peezel Farms not only farms broilers and layers, but is passionate about uplifting other small-scale growers through regular workshops. She spoke to Susan Marais about what it takes to start and run a small poultry farm.
Hertzogville Show 2022
The Hertzogville Show was held on 11 and 12 March. There were six cattle breeds and 145 cattle on show, and champions were crowned in each category.
Give buchu a go!
Approximately 80% of buchu essential oils are used in the food and flavour industry to enhance fruit flavours.
Fighter ace, aviation pioneer, bold leader: the remarkable career of Quintin Brand
Quintin Brand had extraordinary flying skills, and put them to full use as a fighter ace and a record-breaking London-to-Cape Town pilot. He was also a superb strategist during the Battle of Britain.
An innovative new harvesting tool
Enter the PickLogger, a new harvesting tool developed by Agri Technovation, that allows for more accurate yield management.
Energy storage can enhance SA agriculture
Energy-related challenges pose a significant obstacle to the agriculture sector's continued growth in South Africa, says Abe Cambridge, founder, and CEO of The Sun Exchange, which specializes in solar-energy projects.
Rabies cases still on the rise in South Africa
Due to people in farming communities keeping higher numbers of dogs, rabies is more prevalent in rural areas.
पशुओं में खुरपकामुंहपका रोग
पशुओं में खुरपकामुंहपका रोग यानी एफएमडी बेहद संक्रामक वायरल है. यह रोग वयस्क पशुओं में घातक नहीं होता है, लेकिन बछड़ों के लिए यह घातक होता है. यह गायभैंसों, बकरियों,
Aviation in the age of pestilence – a reminiscence
Now is not the time for people like me to start pontificating about the impact of COVID-19 on aviation, because the situation is simply too new, and too fast-moving. It’s incredibly important of-course, but things need to settle down before academics like me should be publishing on it.
Part 11: Buffalo Disease Risk Management
African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) are iconic animals and part of the so-called Big Five.
Forum And Farmers Must Drive Biosecurity
The ban on livestock auctions across the country due to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Limpopo has been lifted.
The Road To National Livestock Identification And Traceability
It is the start of a new year with new opportunities and threats. Some farmers might even be wondering how long the current challenges will last. Others might catch themselves reflecting on opportunities they could not embrace because of the challenges they were facing at the time.