Government’s ‘senseless’ foot and mouth disease ban risks ruining red meat industry, driving up prices

The ban on cattle movement to curb the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has not only been criticised as senseless and drastic, but could also spell economic disaster for the entire red-meat value chain and potential ripple effects on prices.

The Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO) said the ban had a serious impact on the red meat value chain, but was necessary as there were 15 new Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks in just two weeks, with two additional provinces affected.

Currently South Africa is experiencing 116 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks involving farms, feedlots, and communal areas in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Free State.

“The measures not only have a serious impact on the commercial sector, but impact almost more seriously on the developing sector, as 1.2 million households own livestock and depend on it for income and food security,” RPO chairman James Faber said.

He said the meat industry is SA’s sleeping giant of agriculture and could achieve up to 20% growth in exports, but this was dependent on convincing trading partners that foot and mouth disease was under control.

Faber said the ban will have to be applied strictly, committing their full cooperation amid assurances that the ban will be limited to 21 days.

‘Mind-boggling’ decision could render ban moot

Not everyone is fully in agreement with the 21-day ban, gazetted on Thursday by agriculture, land reform and rural development Thoko Didiza on Thursday.

The decision drew stinging criticism for the exemptions on slaughtering for own consumption.

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Healthy cattle may be moved to abattoirs, provided they have been inspected and foot and mouth disease status confirmed by a private veterinarian on the day of the move, and the health certificate presented to the responsible state veterinarian.

Applications may be made for slaughter at a registered abattoir and the cattle must be moved directly from the farm to the abattoir, with no stopping on the road for any purpose.

The restrictions apply nationwide but there are no health certification requirements to slaughter for personal consumption or use for religious and cultural purposes, provided the cattle are slaughtered on the same premises they are kept.

The meat from cattle slaughtered for personal use can be transported but cannot be sold, with serious consequences for non-compliance as this is a criminal offense in terms of the Animal Diseases Act.

Tammy Breedt, Freedom Front Plus spokesperson on agriculture, said it was mind-boggling that Didiza gave permission for livestock to be transported for “ritual purposes”.

“It is unacceptable that cattle farmers’ hands are tied in this way while criminals can easily exploit the exception for so-called ritual purposes to continue their illicit operations,” he said.

Breedt said the department admitted in an oversight report this week that the illicit transport of animals is one of the main causes of the widespread of foot-and-mouth disease.

He said the ban will not only have serious repercussions for farmers, but will also have a negative impact on consumers and the entire red meat industry.

Breedt lamented that this second outbreak in just four months also puts a spotlight on the efficacy of government’s interventions in combatting the disease.

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He said with crime out of control, the safety net designed to stop the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease disease was seemingly full of holes.

Reggie Ngcobo, Didiza’s spokesperson, said the Foot and Mouth Disease ban was reviewable weekly and would only be able to give update on the management of the disease after a week.

He said they were working with all law enforcement agencies, including SA Police Service (Saps), SA National Defence Force (SANDF), traffic police, traditional leaders and communities to police the ban.

‘Drastic and too late’

Christo van der Rheede, Agri SA Executive Director, said while the recent interventions were drastic, the severity of the disease probably justifies a total ban from government’s perspective, though this would have a significant impact on livelihoods.

He said government should have acted much sooner, which would have prevented the spread across provinces and ultimately the total ban.

“Drastic measures are required right at the start of an outbreak, to stop it from spreading further. If we fail to do so, it will spread like wildfire with serious implications for the livestock industry,” Van der Rheede said.

First National Bank’s Agri-Business senior Agricultural economist, Paul Makube, said the outbreak was bad news for exports as Foot and Mouth Disease was a notifiable disease in terms of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

He warned of huge economic consequences for producers and value chain industries from the potential loss of SA’s Foot and Mouth Disease-free status if the situation was not arrested.

Importing countries, Makube said, may elect to place a ban on imports and, though short-term, the ban was still disruptive to the supply and demand dynamics in SA.

In April China, which accounted for about 22% of total SA meat exports in 2021 and over 70% SA wool imports, banned the import of all cloven-hoofed animals and their products from SA.

“Persistent outbreaks will curtail the country’s export drive which is still a relatively small share of local production,” he said.

siphom@citizen.co.za