Agriculture minister says foot and mouth disease outbreak has cost the industry hundreds of millions
'I've had to extend the disease management area twice because it has spread, and that's largely through unauthorised movement of animals and some auction events that did not follow the correct procedures,' he said.
The minister issued a stern warning to those who flout disease containment protocols, saying criminal and civil consequences will follow.
'There's a criminal charge for it but also I believe those people expose themselves to civil recoveries. Places that have an outbreak as a result of unlawful behaviour would be able to claim damages, which would be quantifiable. A place such as Karan Beef can quantify the damage caused.'
Steenhuisen said with advanced tracing technologies authorities are increasingly able to identify sources of outbreaks.
He cited a previous incident in Humansdorp as an example of the consequences of ignoring regulations.
'That was on a much smaller scale and caused between R80m and R100m worth of damage to the dairy sector,' he said.
When asked how long it would take to bring the outbreak under control, Steenhuisen said the timeline depends on public co-operation.
'It depends whether people adhere to the regulations. What we don't want is more spread or events. If you have people who move animals outside the disease management area or break the protocols, we're going to see breakouts in other parts of the country,' he said.
Steenhuisen emphasised the virus only spreads through breaches of movement protocols, not spontaneously.
'The virus can only move out of the disease management area if people break the regulations. It's going to depend entirely on co-operation,' he said.
Ramokgopa stressed the need for a uniform biosecurity approach across all farming sectors.
'It's about taking it to the next level to contain any additional spread of foot and mouth disease. What's been very encouraging is co-operation between the Gauteng department of agriculture and national government,' said Ramokgopa.
'We must ensure a uniform biosecurity standard as a country and as a province, regardless of whether you are a small-scale farmer or a large farmer.'
To combat the outbreak, the government has allocated R43m to procure vaccines. Steenhuisen confirmed the first shipment comprising more than 900,000 doses arrived in South Africa last week, with vaccinations beginning over the weekend.
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