Calls for tighter control as SA embarks on 10-year foot-and-mouth plan

Much of the commentary around Steenhuisen’s decision not to contest the DA leadership has centred on his handling of South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.

Now, with the minister signalling he will double down on managing the crisis, questions remain about whether the government’s approach has been decisive enough, and what farmers need going forward.

10-year control plan underway

Dr Gideon Brückner of the World Organisation for Animal Health said the government had announced a 10-year control programme aligned with international guidelines.

“What the minister did announce is that they are now embarking on a 10-year control programme plan for vaccination in terms of the guidelines of the World Organisation for Animal Health,” he said.

Brückner explained that to regain FMD-free status, South Africa would have to comply with strict standards.

“One of the things that they need to abide by is that they can only use vaccines that are manufactured in terms of the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health, and that they must have control over the purchase of the vaccine.”

He added that while the state should oversee procurement, vaccinations themselves could be carried out by private veterinarians and animal health technicians.

Slow response in 2019

The outbreak, which spread from controlled areas into previously FMD-free zones in 2019, marked a turning point.

Brückner said there was ‘a lot of slow progress in really tackling the disease head-on at that stage’, allowing it to spread beyond Limpopo to eight provinces, unprecedented in South Africa.

“It was given a chance, with the lack of movement control and the lack of quick action, to move from the infected areas in Limpopo Province eventually to the rest of the country.”

He described the situation as a ‘big, big problem for the farming community’.

Fewer advisers, more expertise

With Steenhuisen expected to focus more fully on the outbreak, Brückner urged him to surround himself with credible experts.

“He should scale down on the number of advisers because there are a lot of people now climbing onto the bandwagon and giving themselves out as experts for foot-and-mouth disease that never even have seen the disease,” he said.

His advice was clear: bring in people with direct experience who can ‘really help him to tackle disease head-on rather than criticising and throwing stones’.

The outbreak remains a major concern for farmers and exporters alike, with the country’s disease-free status and trade relationships hanging in the balance.

For more detailed information, listen to Brückner using the audio player below: