‘Tissue samples were sent to the laboratory and the results came back confirming both SAT 2 and SAT 3 types of the virus.’
The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has confirmed an outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District, specifically in the JB Marks Local Municipality.
This comes after South Africa’s largest beef producer, Karan Beef, confirmed an outbreak of the disease at its Heidelberg feedlot in the province of Gauteng. Provinces that already have cases include Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal.
FMD is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock that has a significant economic impact. The disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants.
The diseaseis characterised by fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats and between the hooves. It causes severe production losses, and while the majority of affected animals recover, the disease often leaves them weakened and debilitated.
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In a statement, departmental spokesperson Emelda Setlhako said the department was first alerted by a private veterinarian who visited the farm and saw suspicious signs. “The State Veterinarian collected samples, which were sent to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI) to test for the disease.”
Another incident was first detected at an abattoir in the Madibeng Local Municipality. The clinical signs of the affected animals were missed at ante-mortem inspection but were detected on the slaughter line during the meat inspection process.
“Tissue samples were sent to the laboratory, and the results came back confirming both SAT 2 and SAT 3 types of the virus.”
Animals transported back
Setlhako added that the animals that were not slaughtered were escorted back to a feedlot in Ventersdorp, with a permit from the Red Cross.
“Both farms linked to the outbreak have been put under quarantine, prohibiting the movement of animals and animal products.”
He highlighted that the Department of Agriculture has identified all the farms linked to the Gauteng outbreak and is sampling them for testing to confirm whether they are positive or not.
“All such farms have also been put under precautionary quarantine until the test results are back.”
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“Any suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease in susceptible animals must be reported to the local State Veterinarian immediately.
“The disease affects cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals (domestic and wild). The major clinical features of the disease include fever, lameness, and the appearance of vesicles and sores in the mouth, feet, and teats.”
Anso Bracken, Karan Beef marketing manager, said approximately 120 000 cattle are housed at the Heidelberg facility. The company produces an estimated 100 million kilogrammes of beef annually from this site alone. Approximately 2% of the herd is currently infected.
Vaccines worth R72 million expected
The Department of Agriculture said a R72 million shipment of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines will arrive in South Africa by mid-June.
Dipepeneneng Serage, Deputy Director-General: Agricultural Production, Biosecurity and Natural Resources Management, told Moneyweb the vaccines are being imported from Botswana “due to South Africa’s limited domestic manufacturing capacity”.
The department has estimated the vaccine requirements for the disease for the 2025-2026 financial year at R1.2 billion, with each dose expected to cost around R100.
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