Latest news with #andMouth
IOL News
4 days ago
- Health
- IOL News
Government ramps up vaccine efforts to combat foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in KZN
Minister of Agriculture John Steehuisen said that the Government will be increasing vaccines to address the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) in KZN Image: Pexels Minister of Agriculture John Steehuisen on Monday announced a significant increase in vaccine supplies in KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to combat the ongoing outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). This announcement comes in the wake of urgent calls from livestock commodity groups united under the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) for the province to be declared a disaster area due to the severe implications of FMD on local livelihoods. During his address at the TMR Conference hosted by the Milk Producers Organisation on Monday, Steehuisen FMD has severely impacted the red meat industry since the outbreaks in 2019. 'It has closed doors to critical markets. It disrupted supply chains. And it sent shockwaves through producer confidence. We have learned some hard lessons. We cannot achieve prosperity through exports without credible, science-based, and trusted disease control systems,' he said. Steenhuisen added that the department was working closely with industry through joint command structures to improve surveillance and rapid response. 'But we know this is not enough. We need a sustainable, nationally coordinated FMD vaccination programme that meets the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH); upgraded veterinary infrastructure, and strong biosecurity protocols, not only at our borders but at farm level, transport corridors, and auction sites.' 'South Africa must adopt a system that meets international traceability requirements - digital, decentralised, and inclusive We are prioritising the finalisation of the National Traceability Framework, and we will continue to support farmer compliance through targeted technical support.' Steehuisen said the department has ordered vaccines to cover the KZN area, while assessment, as well as forward and backward tracing of the outbreak in Gauteng is ongoing. 'These plans are not only about responding to outbreaks, but it's also about building permanent infrastructure to manage future risks.' The Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) said it has implemented Phase 1 of its coordinated response to the ongoing Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak. 'Located at RMIS headquarters in Pretoria, the Operational Centre is being developed in a phased approach to ensure rapid implementation, relevance, and operational efficiency,' it said. 'To ensure immediate functionality, Phase 1 focuses on establishing the core operational capabilities of the OC. This phase lays the groundwork for effective coordination and control, with the following key components.' RMIS added that they were utilising a national network of 177 Ruminant Private Veterinarians conducting daily surveillance of FMD. It said that suspected FMD cases reported by the private veterinarians were mapped in real time on the RMIS Platform, which was specifically developed for this purpose. 'Each case's status is continuously updated and displayed on the platform, providing a national bird's-eye view of the outbreak. This visual overview supports effective disease management and decision-making within the Operational Centre.' RMIS added that the FMD contingency plan outlined a clear step-by-step process to be followed once a suspected case is identified by a veterinarian. 'The Operational Centre will support the coordination of this process, facilitating communication and action between the farmer, private veterinarian, state veterinarian, laboratory, and the Department of Animal Health, to ensure accurate execution within the recommended timeframe.' RMIS said that updates on case status and outbreak mapping will be communicated directly to veterinarians through the RMIS Platform via WhatsApp, ensuring fast, accurate, and streamlined information delivery. 'In Phase 2, RMIS plans to introduce a public reporting channel for suspected animal movements in collaboration with various organised agricultural organisations. This will be followed by Phase 3, which will see the integration of an electronic risk assessment and movement permit system into the RMIS platform also through collaboration with various organised agricultural organisations.' BUSINESS REPORT
India Gazette
06-06-2025
- Health
- India Gazette
APEDA, and Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying organise roundtable on exports of livestock and value-added products
New Delhi [India], June 6 (ANI): Exports facilitator APEDA and Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) jointly organised a roundtable workshop on 'Exports of Livestock and their Value Added Products - Future Prospects and Way Forward' in the national capital on Friday. The workshop convened senior officials from the Central and State governments, industry stakeholders, policy experts, and scientists to deliberate on strengthening India's livestock export ecosystem through quality enhancement, disease prevention, market access initiatives, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)- free infrastructure, technological advancements, market intelligence, and global market alignment. The Secretary of DAHD, Alka Upadhyaya, chaired the roundtable workshop. Other dignitaries included Varsha Joshi, the Additional Secretary of DAHD, Kesang Yangzom Sherpa, the joint secretary of the Department of Commerce, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Abhishek Dev, Chairman of APEDA. In her keynote address, Secretary, DAHD, Alka Upadhyaya noted, 'With sustained investment in disease control infrastructure, quality systems, exploring diplomatic channels for enhanced market access and exports and bio security measures, India can position itself as a global leader in livestock exports, especially in value-added segments and the industry must be more aspirational and aim for a 20 per cent increase in exports this fiscal.' She added, 'Industry must focus on the processing of livestock and further improve the quality of livestock products by having a star rating for plants and establishments to ensure globally competitive exports.' Delivering a special address, Additional Secretary, DAHD, Varsha Joshi shared updates on disease control efforts and highlighted the 'urgent need for constant resource supply, clean and hygienic conditions to ensure quality, saving male calf project, market intelligence and establishing Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) free zones in the country.' She mentioned that, 'Based on the progress and achievement of FMD programme the Department is working towards designating 9 states namely Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Gujarat as FMD free zones.' She also highlighted, 'the need for strengthening the supply chain of livestock exports by introducing traceability across the value chain and extending support to the industry under the Department's Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund(AHIDF).' Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Kesang Yangzom Sherpa, underlined the sector's strategic importance in diversifying India's agri-export basket and emphasised that animal product exports maintain a significant share of India's agricultural exports. She underscored the role of inter-ministerial coordination in unlocking new markets for exports of India's livestock products and the need to leverage India's free trade agreements to expand India's livestock exports. Chairman of APEDA, Abhishek Dev, emphasised 'India's growing role as a reliable exporter of hygienic, traceable and quality-assured livestock products.' He highlighted, 'In the last fiscal, the overall exports of animal products stood at USD 5,114.19 million registering a growth of 12.56 per cent.' He stated, 'There is a significant opportunity to increase the exports of animal products by gaining market access in new markets, developing new and innovative value-added and processed products for exports, and extolling the industry to maintain the highest quality and standards.' The workshop saw active participation of policymakers from the Central and State Government of India including Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries especially their Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) and State Animal Husbandry Departments, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as well as industry associations such as All India Meat and Livestock Exporters Association (AIMLEA), scientists, state veterinary doctors from ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and industry experts, amongst others. 50 leading livestock establishments and key livestock exporters, such as Allanasons, Fair Exports India Pvt. Ltd., HMA Groups, Al Dua, Pure Foods Exports Pvt Ltd, Marhaba Frozen Food, Indagro Foods Pvt. Ltd., AOV Exports Pvt. Ltd., and others, attended the Roundtable Workshop. Technical Sessions and Expert Insights outlined India's performance in livestock exports, regulatory reforms and export market dynamics. This was followed by an open house discussion among several stakeholders in attendance, during which they shared their feedback, concerns, and actionable strategies. The workshop laid the groundwork for a coordinated, future-ready approach to making India a leading player in global markets for exports of livestock and its Value Added Products (VAP). The Roundtable Workshop on 'Exports of Livestock and their Value Added Products - Future Prospects and Way Forward' reinforces the Government of India's commitment to facilitating a robust, compliant and globally competitive livestock export sector. (ANI)
IOL News
11-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
China suspends imports of cloven hoofed animals due to Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in SA
Due to recent Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks in South Africa, China has halted the import of cloven-hoofed animals and associated products. Image: File The People's Republic of China has suspended imports of cloven hoofed animals and related products following Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng. This follows the confirmation of two new FMD cases outside KZN. A farm in Mpumalanga was identified as part of trace-forward exercises from a positive auction in Utrecht, KZN. Although these animals showed no clinical signs of disease, further investigations have confirmed that the virus has spread to adjacent camps on the same farm. 'There are no indications that other farms have become infected, but veterinary services are continuing with clinical inspection and testing of livestock on farms in the area,' said Agriculture Director: Animal Health, Dr Mpho Maja. Maja said another farm was reported in Gauteng. 'Clinical signs suspicious of FMD were noted in a feedlot that received animals from an auction in Heidelberg, samples were collected and prioritised for testing. Laboratory results for these samples are positive and confirmed that this is the same virus that is circulating in parts of KwaZulu-Natal,' Maja said. 'An epidemiological investigation is underway to trace back and trace forward all other animals that were bought and sold at the same auction.' This led the People's Republic of China to suspend imports of cloven hoofed animals and related products. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'Preliminary information obtained confirmed that this suspension includes only beef from the whole of South Africa to China,' Maja said. In response, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has escalated control efforts to the Deputy Director-General's office due to the seriousness of the matter. 'The office of the DDG has already held meetings with Veterinary Services and industry representatives to detail the actions required to curb this threat. The biosecurity, traceability and record keeping of animals bought and sold at auctions and similar industries were raised as a specific concern,' Maja said. Maja has urged South African livestock owners to heed FMD's incubation period of 2 to 14 days, during which animals can appear clinically healthy, before they start showing clinical signs generally associated with FMD. 'This highlights the importance of keeping newly bought animals separated from the resident herd for at least 28 days, even if a health attestation was issued for the animals. The health attestation and 28-day separation have been a legal requirement since October 2022,' Maja said. 'The department urges all livestock farmers in the whole country to limit animal movement as far as possible. 'We request auctioneers and livestock owners to be vigilant when buying cloven hoofed animals from provinces where there are active FMD outbreaks. No cloven-hoofed animals should be accepted from areas under restriction for FMD in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga,' Maja continued. Maja explained that Section 11 of the Animal Diseases Act imposes a legal duty on any owner or manager of animals to take all reasonable measures to prevent their animals from becoming infected with any disease and to prevent the spread of any disease from their animals or land to other animals or other properties. 'Essential biosecurity measures include limiting and/or postponing the introduction of new animals if at all possible and, if absolutely necessary, only introducing animals from known clean farms with a health declaration, preventing nose-to-nose contact of farm animals with animals outside the farm, maintaining secure farm boundaries, restricting access for people and vehicles as much as possible,' Maja said. Meanwhile, earlier this week, when the department briefed the portfolio committee on agriculture about the status of FMD, the Department of Agriculture's Dr Mike Modisane said FMD affected export markets significantly, and some countries can take protective measures against other commodities.
