KZN industry bodies call for state of disaster due to foot and mouth disease crisis
Farmers in KZN are calling for a provincial state of disaster to be declared as the ongoing foot and mouth disease (FMD) crisis continues to erode their livelihoods.
The Witness reports that approximately 120 farmers have been severely affected.
Since April, the province has recorded 167 outbreaks of FMD. Of these, only 18 have been closed, while 149 remain active.
In response, government expanded the Disease Management Area (DMA), where livestock movement is restricted to contain the disease. However, despite these regulations being gazetted, enforcement remains weak, allowing the disease to continue spreading as livestock move unabated.
KZN MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa released an action plan in a bid to work with the sector to contain the spread of the disease.
Movement restrictions have impacted the ability of farmers to earn an income, as they are unable to sell their livestock unless their farms are declared biosecure. Even then, they may only sell to feedlots and abattoirs.
These issues have prompted industry bodies under the KZN Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) to formally call for a state of disaster to be declared.
'Although control measures are in place, weak enforcement allows the disease to move further, putting strain on livestock producers, processors and the urban and peri-urban economies that depend on the sector,' Kwanalu says.
'If we don't get FMD under control, it will result in businesses closing and increased unemployment and poverty for the many families that rely on this industry.'
KZN Red Meat Producers' Organisation chairperson and Kwanalu vice-president, Angus Williamson, said farmers within the DMA are under severe pressure and that proper enforcement is essential. 'The only way to control movement is to have policing in the area,' he said.
He added that this would only be possible if a state of disaster was declared, as it would enable the allocation of additional funding and resources. 'Roadblocks would work, as many farmers continue to transport livestock out of the DMA because there is no enforcement,' said Williamson.
'Policing the area would be a big task as the DMA stretches approximately four million hectares.'
He also called for faster delivery of vaccines, particularly to high-risk areas. 'Vaccines need to be more readily available and should be delivered expeditiously to high-risk areas.'
Johan Du Plessis, chairperson of the Dundee Farmers Association, said compliance requirements to become biosecure are a major hurdle. 'There are over 100 points that need to be complied with and, consequently, many farmers I represent have not had a steady cash flow for four months,' he said.
'Some farmers do have alternative sources of income like selling maize, but many, especially the small-scale farmers, are solely livestock farmers,' he said. 'Sixty percent of cattle in the province belong to small-scale farmers, so it's a big concern.'
Du Plessis added that some farmers have resorted to smuggling cattle out of the DMA. 'While I understand that people must earn a living, the continued movement of cattle will facilitate further spreading of the disease.'
The call for a state of disaster comes shortly after Statistics South Africa and the South African Reserve Bank commended the agricultural sector for its strong performance in the first quarter of the year.
Du Plessis said that while the government recognises the economic importance of the livestock industry, the response has been too slow.
'Government is aware of the economic power that the sector holds, but thinks they have been slow to action because, for a long time, FMD was confined to KZN.
'But now that it has spread to provinces like Gauteng, there is hope that swift, effective action will come,' he said.
The DMA includes much of northern KZN, covering Mtubatuba, Nongoma, Ulundi and Jozini local municipalities.
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