FMD: Status of DAFF’s Operation Compliance

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Senzeni Zokwana gave feedback on the status of the department’s foot-and-mouth disease control programme Operation Compliance in a press statement last week. The last FMD outbreak detected in the free zone of KwaZulu-Natal in February 2011, resulted in the country losing its OIE FMD free zone status with adverse economic impacts estimated at R4 billion owing to an embargo on exports of agricultural produce. Although South Africa regained its FMD free zone status in February 2014, there are still some agricultural sectors that have not recovered.

The OIE Scientific Committee on Animal Diseases conducted a verification assessment on FMD controls implemented by South Africa during 2014. Although progress in some areas was recognised the following eight areas were identified for immediate attention:

• Improvement of the structure and inspection of border fences with Zimbabwe.
• Demarcate protection zones around disease-free areas.
• Addressing critical shortages in provincial veterinary services.
• Ensure clear separation between the border of the free zone and the protection zone.
• Improve fencing around infected game reserves.
• Improve FMD surveillance of disease-free zones.
• Separate animal products from disease-free and disease-protected zones at abattoirs; and
• Ensure the ready availability of vaccines.

The minister stated in order to safeguard the FMD free zone status of RSA, there is an urgent need of cooperation and collaboration between government departments the relevant stakeholders and the public at large in ensuring that the FMD controls to prevent the introduction and the spread of this disease are implemented and adhered to. To read more click HERE.