PROJECT: FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE CRISIS IN SOUTH AFRICA (PART 2)

Isabel Spies
9 hours ago
5 min read

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THE SEVERITY OF THE CRISES WITHIN FARMING COMMUNITIES

South Africa is facing a severe and rapidly escalating Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) crisis

that is placing unprecedented strain on livestock farmers, rural communities,

national food security, and the broader economy.

Across multiple provinces, farming communities are under extreme financial distress.

Farmers are nearing bankruptcy as banks tighten lending conditions and insurers reassess exposure.

Owing to prolonged movement restrictions and the absence of accessible, compliant markets,

farmers are unable to sell, transport, or slaughter cattle for periods extending up to 12 months.

As a result, farmers are left managing livestock that they are legally prohibited from trading,

relocating, or processing, creating an unsustainable situation with

compounding economic and welfare consequences.

ECONOMIC IMPACT AND NATIONAL RISK EXPOSURE:

Livestock farming contributes approximately 50% of South Africa’s total agricultural income and sustains thousands of jobs, predominantly in rural and economically vulnerable areas.
Failure to urgently contain and manage this Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak — including the formal declaration of a national agricultural disaster — will result in:
- Widespread loss of farming livelihoods.
- Large-scale job losses across agricultural value chains.
- Collapse of rural farming communities.
- Severe threats to national food security.
- Long-term and potentially irreversible economic damage.
Export markets have already been lost, and domestic supply chains are under significant operational strain, with downstream impacts on pricing, availability, and consumer confidence.

ANIMAL WELFARE AND ETHICAL CONCERNS:

Beyond economic devastation, the crisis has resulted in avoidable and unacceptable animal suffering.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease causes:
- Painful blistering in the mouth, tongue, and hooves.
- Difficulty eating, standing, and walking.
- Severe stress, rapid weight loss, and secondary infections.
The lack of decisive government intervention, combined with insufficient veterinary capacity and delayed disease-control measures, has directly contributed to unnecessary animal suffering. This raises serious animal welfare, ethical, and reputational concerns for South Africa’s agricultural sector.

GOVERNMENT FAILURES AND OPERATIONAL DEFICIENCIES:

Several systemic failures are accelerating the spread and impact of the disease:
- Critical shortages of state veterinarians are limiting inspection, certification, containment, and disease management capabilities.
- Inadequate enforcement at roadblocks and transport corridors allows illegal livestock movement without proper veterinary clearance.
- Insufficient training and authority for SAPS members and on-the-ground officials to effectively stop vehicles, inspect livestock, and verify veterinary documentation.
- Weak biosecurity controls enable continued disease transmission across regions.
These operational gaps represent a serious breakdown in national agricultural biosecurity.

SERIOUS CONCERNS REGARDING VACCINE STRATEGY:

It is deeply concerning that the state is considering sourcing Foot-and-Mouth Disease vaccines from Botswana, rather than prioritising procurement from established European manufacturers with:
- Proven long-term efficacy.
- Strict quality control and traceability.
- Extensive international disease-control experience.
South Africa should align its response with international best practices, including:
- High-quality, fully traceable vaccines.
- Proven European disease-management protocols.
- Recognised international veterinary expertise.
Reliance on vaccine sources with limited production scale or differing disease-control frameworks risks undermining farmer confidence, trade partner trust, and future export market recovery.

Specialised Security Services urgently calls on the South African government to act immediately and decisively by:

Declaring Foot-and-Mouth Disease a national agricultural disaster.
Deploying sufficient state veterinarians and emergency veterinary task teams.
Implementing and enforcing strict livestock movement controls and road checkpoints.
Ensuring all transported livestock carry valid and verifiable veterinary clearance.
Utilising international best-practice vaccine sources and disease-control expertise.
Providing financial relief mechanisms and protection for affected farmers.
Acting without delay to prevent further animal suffering, job losses, and food insecurity.

This is not merely an agricultural issue — it is a national emergency.

If Foot-and-Mouth Disease is not urgently and effectively controlled:

Farming families will be financially destroyed.
Rural communities will collapse.
Jobs will be lost across multiple sectors.
National food security will be compromised.
Long-term economic damage will be unavoidable.

Specialised Security Services urgently calls on the state to intervene now,

with authority, coordination, and accountability — before the damage becomes irreversible.

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