FF Plus welcomes Steenhuisen’s 'war' on foot-and-mouth disease

The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) said that it welcomes Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen's 'war' on foot-and-mouth disease.

The highly contagious virus is ravaging livestock in feedlots and dairies in several provinces.

On Wednesday, Steenhuisen said that he would ask Cabinet to declare the outbreak a national disaster.

“We will also involve the military if necessary,” he said.

FF Plus MP Wynand Boshoff said that they are relieved that the minister is taking the matter to Cabinet.

"This is not the kind of challenge that the industry can shoulder on its own."

However, he said that some of the interventions being promised now are overdue, such as the restrictions on the movement of animals.

"That's the kind of thing that should really have started to have attention two or three years ago when the epidemic started in KwaZulu-Natal."

Boshoff explains that monitoring the restrictions is a costly and time-intensive operation.

He said that in the past it has been possible to transport animals across three of four provinces without query.

Steenhuisen also announced a mass vaccination campaign to get the outbreak under control, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, the epicentre of the disease.

He said that the department is still trying to get approval for the import of vaccines that are not registered for use in South Africa.

Once permits are issued, he expects a million doses to arrive within a fortnight.