AgriSA has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa's declaration of the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease outbreak as a national disaster during the State of the Nation Address. The organization views this as recognition of the severe bio-security threat to South Africa's livestock sector. It also highlights the economic, food security, and trade impacts of the outbreak.
During the State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the declaration of the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak as a national disaster. AgriSA, a key agricultural organization, expressed its support for this move, stating that it underscores the gravity of the bio-security challenge facing the country's livestock industry.
The declaration, according to AgriSA, also recognizes the broader consequences, including effects on the economy, food security, and international trade. CEO Johann Kotzé emphasized the need for substantial support in managing vaccinations to combat the outbreak effectively.
Kotzé explained the complexities involved: “There’s no chance that we would be able to manufacture (the vaccine) specifically for the outbreaks that we have. We need to solve the issue as it is, and for that we need outside vaccines coming into South Africa. You need to centralise it, purely for the sake of being able to have the same kind of framework throughout all the provinces itself and the next thing is, you need to bring in private vets, private people to help and assist with the outbreaks and help and assist with the vaccinations.”
This announcement comes amid ongoing efforts to address the FMD threat, which has implications for South Africa's agricultural sector.
