BMA officers seized illegal veterinary products from an East African flight, sending them for laboratory analysis.
Border Management Authority (BMA) officials intercepted an aircraft carrying 84 kg of unapproved veterinary medicines en route from Kenya and Tanzania, amid heightened foot and mouth disease (FMD) vigilance.
BMA comissioner Michael Masiapato said the attempt to smuggle animal medicines and vaccines into the country is a significant breach of South Africa’s veterinary and biosecurity regulations.
Masiapato said it is treated with the utmost seriousness by the BMA.
BMA intercepts 84kg of illegal veterinary medicines
This is after BMA port agriculture officials intercepted an aircraft from Kenya and Tanzania on the afternoon of 26 November.
The aircraft was carrying veterinary medicine (Berenil) in two polystyrene boxes weighing about 84kg that were in transit through the Polokwane International Airport to Pietermaritzburg Airport.
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The batch of goods was initially refused entry as it did not have the requisite import permits as provided for in Section 6 of the Animal Diseases Act 35 of 1984.
It was decided that the product had to be confiscated and taken to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute Transboundary Animal Diseases Laboratory (OVI-TAD) for further analysis following discussions with the department of agriculture.
Masiapato said the BMA is aware of the current FMD outbreak that South Africa is grappling with. He said BMA supports the government’s stance to protect the national herd health and mitigate the negative impact that this has on market access and economic development of local farmers.
Foot and mouth disease outbreak
“To that extent, we have strengthened vigilance and inspection services at the ports of entry to detect and intercept any illegal importation of untested biological and preventive veterinary products, including vaccines, that may be injurious or harmful to local primary animal producers and economic prospects,” he added.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease of livestock that has a significant economic impact.
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The disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants.
It is a transboundary animal disease that deeply affects the production of livestock and disrupts regional and international trade in animals and animal products.
The use of the foot and mouth disease vaccine is a state-controlled activity and using any other vaccination – aside from those that are legally obtained – to reduce FMD outbreaks is forbidden.
FMD vaccine use is state-controlled
The FMD vaccines used by the department of agriculture are obtained from the Botswana Vaccine Institute according to the stipulated doses needed.
The Botswana Vaccine Institute hosts the World Organisation for Animal Health’s regional reference laboratory for foot and mouth disease.
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“The BMA port agriculture unit remains committed to supporting the FMD control programmes of the department of agriculture and other stakeholders to ensure economic development of local producers and promote biosecurity measures for the Republic of South Africa,” the BMA.
