NATIONAL NEWS - THE Minister for Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, has announced the lifting of the
blanket ban on gatherings of animals, such as at livestock auctions and shows.
The ban has been in place since the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the Molemole district in Limpopo three months ago.
According to a statement released by the department, this decision followed a briefing over the weekend by the department’s technical task team dealing with the outbreak.
Auctions will only be conducted under stringent conditions, and all livestock agents must be registered with the Agricultural Produce Agents Council (APAC).
In the statement, Didiza further stressed that agents already registered with APAC and who complied with the FMD prevention measures for livestock agents, could proceed with auctions.
All APAC certificates issued prior to 2 March 2018 have lapsed and renewals should be done on or before 30 March.
Didiza said the lifting of the temporary ban on gatherings of animals did not imply that such activities were safe.
She advised all auctioneers to familiarise themselves with the FMD prevention measures to prevent animals from becoming infected.
The outbreak has highlighted the importance of individual animal identification and traceability, especially when it applies to the continuous buying and selling of animals.
Work on a national livestock identification and traceability system (LITS) is at an advanced stage, and the implementation of this system is vital for better management of diseases in the country.
LITS is also needed to improve the industry’s chances of gaining access to export markets.
Decision welcomed Gerhard Schutte, CEO of the Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO), said they welcomed the decision.
‘The ban was a drastic, but necessary measure, and it meant that trade had to take place through bilateral trading partners.’
Schutte also welcomed the decision compelling all livestock agents to be registered with APAC.
‘From our side, we will work on a stricter system of guidelines for auctioneers to self-regulate. This won’t happen overnight’, he said.
No new outbreaks of FMD have been reported, but extensive work is needed Auctions may resume under strict conditions to prevent future outbreaks.
