Foot and mouth disease: Agri Minister publishes draft routine vaccination scheme

Just days ahead of a looming court deadline, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has published a draft routine vaccination scheme for foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease.

This is an indication of a major shift in how the country plans to manage the outbreak.

The scheme sets out a voluntary, nationwide vaccination framework for cloven-hoofed animals.

The country has been grappling with one of its most widespread FMD disease outbreaks, affecting all provinces.

ALSO READ:

Foot and mouth disease outbreaks rise despite mass vaccination drive

North West nears 90% vaccination milestone in fight against foot and mouth disease

Agriculture Dept gets reprieve in legal challenge over foot-and-mouth control

Steenhuisen has faced mounting criticism over his handling of the crisis, with farming organisations taking the matter to court to seek unsupervised private administration of FMD vaccines.

The court ordered Steenhuisen to publish a vaccination scheme to allow for this by this Friday.

Over the weekend, the department released a draft scheme, giving the public seven days to comment.

A multi-stakeholder committee, that includes veterinarians, scientists and agricultural bodies, will oversee the implementation of the cost-sharing model between government and industry.

Farmers who opt in will have to meet strict requirements, including animal identification through branding or electronic tagging, national traceability, and regular biosecurity audits.