More than 90% of SA cattle vaccinated, but booster rollout remains uncertain

Ask AI 3minMany farmers have stopped reporting foot-and-mouth outbreaks as vaccinated cattle recover quickly, the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation said

More than 90% of SA’s cattle have now been vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease, beating the government’s target more than six weeks early.

Minister of Agriculture Willie Aucamp announced the figures in his keynote address at the Agricultural Writers SA National Awards in Muldersdrift on Friday.

Foot-and-mouth disease, or FMD, affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, causing sores on their tongues, hooves and teats.

President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the outbreak a national disaster in this year’s State of the Nation Address, seven years after SA lost its FMD-free status.

Aucamp’s department said all provinces had moved into the next phase of the campaign, which is giving booster doses to keep the cattle immune.

But Dr Frikkie Maré, chief executive of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation, said most of the commercial farmers his organisation represented had not had a single booster shot.

Speaking to IOL on Sunday morning, Maré said Aucamp’s claim that new outbreaks had declined drastically could not be properly measured, as many farmers had stopped reporting them.

“Most of the commercial farmers which we represent haven’t received booster shots at all,” Maré said.

“From what we understand, the government departments will vaccinate new outbreaks, and in some provinces the government still vaccinates those that did not receive a first dose.”

He said some farmers had yet to receive their first dose and were still waiting to be vaccinated.

“So the booster rollout is very uncertain at this stage,” Maré said.

“Because non-reporting is happening, we do not know what the real outbreak figures are.

“If you look at the official numbers, it has declined, and I’m certain it should have declined as most of the cattle received the first dose.

“But I don’t think we have the actual numbers to say how much it is better.”

Maré said farmers had stopped reporting outbreaks after seeing their sick animals recover, as cattle that had received a first dose showed much milder symptoms.

He said he understood that the national department no longer bought vaccines, leaving provincial departments to buy their own.

Sales of privately bought vaccines were very low, as most farmers believed the disease was controlled by the government and that it should supply the vaccine, Maré said.

He said nobody knew exactly how many cattle SA had, as the last animal census was done in 1998, but he put the national herd at about 14 million or slightly more.

Maré said some export markets had opened to meat from vaccinated cattle, but SA would only regain full status if vaccination was made compulsory and every animal received its doses and boosters on time.

Aucamp said reaching the vaccination target early showed what could be done when government and farmers worked together.

“Reaching a 90% vaccination rate before the end of December deadline is a great achievement for the agricultural sector in SA,” Aucamp said.

“By utilising the state’s capacity and the energy, skill, and dedication of farmers and the private sector, we are rapidly controlling the spread of FMD and protecting SA’s livelihoods as well as the country’s export markets of red meat.”

His department said more than 22 million doses of the vaccine had been bought and distributed.

It said the state had vaccinated just under 11 million cattle and the private sector about four million.

In a written reply to a parliamentary question from IFP MP Inkosi Russel Cebekhulu earlier this month, Aucamp said the department had employed more animal health technicians and vaccinators, and extended vaccination work to private vets.

He said more laboratories could now test for the disease, and more staff had been put on testing.

Asked what was in place to limit disruptions to farming and the food supply, Aucamp replied that regulations were drawn up to deal with a particular matter, were consulted on according to the law, and took in comments where they were relevant.