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Update on the FMD status in EC

Stock Image Pixabay


The clinical presence of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in the Eastern Cape has been confirmed on seven farms within the Kouga/Koukamma Municipal area and one farm within the Berlin, East London area.

The CEO for Agri EC Brent McNamara says a farm in the Joubertina area was also tested but came back negative.

He says the investigation into the origin and extent of the FMD outbreak is ongoing as a full epidemiological investigation is underway to identify other properties that could be at risk.

Immediate neighbours and all linked locations have been placed under precautionary quarantine, pending the outcome of the investigations.

The State Vet for the Kouga/Koukamma area has stated that the disease is most likely being spread by the movement of people and vehicles.

A request was made to farmers to control the movement of staff, people, and vehicles onto and off their properties and ensure that strict biosecurity is being practised.

People and vehicles need to be disinfected before moving onto and off of farms and the movement of cars and people onto other cattle farms must be avoided.

Section 11 of the Animal Diseases Act

This Act imposes a legal duty on any owner or manager of animals to take all reasonable steps to prevent their animals from becoming infected with any disease and to prevent the spread of any disease from their animals or land to other animals or other properties.

The State Vet, Dr Strydom has also stated that they have noticed teat tip lesions in positive animals on the dairy farms and dairy farmers are encouraged to keep an eye on them during milking.

He says the lesions are a scab or blister at the tip of the teat canal, which could be an early indication of infection.

Farmers must inform Dr Strydom if these lesions are seen so that blood can be drawn from the livestock immediately to commence with vaccinations to curb the spread and prevention of livestock.

Onderstepoort Veterinary Research

The laboratory in Pretoria confirmed that the results from samples collected on these farms are positive for SAT3 on serology and PCR tests.

Cattle and sheep on the affected farms were vaccinated against FMD to reduce the viral load on these farms.

In a statement circulated by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development on the 5th of June 2024, the Department was calling on all livestock farmers and owners in all Provinces to limit the movement of cloven-hoofed animals as far as possible and to only move animals if it is necessary.

Berlin in East London

There is still no clarity on the movement control for the Berlin area.

Agri EC is consulting with the State Vet for the Berlin area and will inform their members once they have received feedback.

Kouga/Koukamma area.

Farmers are welcome to contact Agri EC for the current controlled movement measures that are in place.

Agri EC is aware of an Auction taking place in Parys in the Free State which some of the farmers within the movement control area would like to attend.

The State Vet for this area has stated that no cloven-hoofed animals are to be moved to the Auction in Parys.

The permit process is going very well with 95 permits already issued for the Kouga/Koukamma area.

There are numerous applications submitted to Agri EC daily and in some cases, the processing of one's permit can take a little longer than normal.

Farmers should apply for movement permits before they desire to move animals and not the day before or on the day of the desired movement.

Impact

Earlier this month the FMD outbreak scuppered plans for the 2024 J-Bay Wind Farm MTB Classic and Trail Run.

This year's event scheduled for the 22nd of June, has now been cancelled and the 2025 event is pencilled in for the same weekend.

Organisers say they respect the wishes of the farmers to avoid cross-contamination of their land, as they prioritize the health and safety of their livestock and their livelihoods.

They said in a brief statement that all current entries would be refunded.