KZN farmers concerned about the impact of foot-and-mouth disease on dairy sector

THE agricultural landscape of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is currently grappling with the relentless spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), which has sparked significant alarm among local agricultural associations.

- YOGASHEN PILLAY

As the ramifications of the outbreak unfurl, the Department of Agriculture is ramping up vaccination efforts while aiming to manage the crisis effectively.

David de Jager, CEO of Tip-Top Milk—one of South Africa's leading raw milk logistics providers—last week said that the continued spread of FMD was placing South Africa’s dairy sector under severe strain.

“Last week, the broader livestock industry, under the umbrella of the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu), urgently called for the formal declaration of FMD as a provincial disaster. When farms are quarantined inside Disease Management Areas, animals can't move. It affects breeding cycles, which could lead to overstocking and spikes in production costs,” de Jager said.