AGRICULTURE NEWS - Despite having lost its foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-free status in January 2019, South African authorities have negotiated the resumption of trade in livestock products between the country and a number of export destinations.
The latest national livestock diseases report by the Ruminant Veterinary Association of South Africa (RuVASA), said that tireless efforts by both public and private animal health authorities had ensured that the FMD identified in cattle in Limpopo’s Vhembe district had not spread from the containment zone.
“To date, no new cases of FMD have been found in the containment zone. A document will soon be sent to the World Organisation for Animal Health outlining South Africa’s protocol in the manner [in which] FMD is controlled. This will [pave] the way for South Africa regaining its FMD-free status,” the report said.
A recent statement by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) said that, despite not having FMD-free status, South Africa had still been able to negotiate a revision of veterinary health certificates to allow beef exports to continue to Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lesotho, Qatar, Swaziland, and the United Arab Emirates.
“Trade in pork from [South Africa’s] FMD-free pig compartments has been reopened with Lesotho, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Swaziland, and negotiations with Botswana are continuing. The markets for dairy products to various trade partners have largely been restored,” DAFF’s statement added.
Read the full article here on the Caxton publication, Farmer's Weekly.
