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Foot and Mouth disease takes hold in the Eastern Cape

By

Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes troubling reports about the recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in the Eastern Cape. This province is one of the two largest producers of beef in the country. Such an incident is a setback for a region with high unemployment, heavily reliant on red meat production for its economy and where unemployment currently sits at 42.4%.

Foot and Mouth Disease is a state-controlled disease, making it the government’s responsibility to implement quarantine and movement control of animals once the disease is identified, to prevent further spread.

The DA has discovered that measures to control animal movement, proposed by Agri Eastern Cape and the Eastern Cape Red Meat Producer Organisation (RPO), were dismissed by the National Director of Animal Health, Dr Maja, who suggested that the province wait for her until her visit to the Eastern Cape was complete.

This contradicts protocol and the powers held by the provincial veterinary directorate. Veterinary services are a concurrent function between Provinces and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD). The prevailing situation however is such that the DALRRD often wants to have the final say on response to disease outbreaks. This is counter productive and slows down the response time.

It is therefore imperative that provinces are given the authority to respond with speed as there is no need to wait for the national office to implement necessary measures to control animal movement and limit the disease’s spread.

The DA is appealing to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Minister Thoko Didiza, for immediate intervention to allow the restriction of animal movements in the province and limit the potential threat of further spread. Farmers are ready to comply with these measures; however, the government is failing to support these proposals.

We are in full support of reducing red tape and devolving powers to capable provinces to ensure that state-controlled diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease are swiftly managed. This will help the industry resume operations as quickly as possible after the disease is contained.

Regards

Noko Masipa MP
DA Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development

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