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A man herds cattle in Cato Ridge in KwaZulu-Natal in this file image taken on 28 July 2019.
The CEO of the Southern African Agri Initiative Francois Rossouw has urged the government to step up measures to control the recent foot and mouth disease outbreak.
He warns that if left unchecked, the outbreak will mean that farmers will no longer be able to move their cattle or pay workers’ wages.
Rossouw also highlights concerns over South Africa’s reliance on imported vaccines, suggesting the country needs better preparedness for veterinary emergencies.
He says this outbreak will also affect consumers because the price of red meat will go up.
“The biggest knock is, of course, immediately to the farmers as they are unable to deliver to this facility. And of course, all our exports to China have been immediately halted. This means this will now cause, in the very short term, increases of red meat on the shelves. Which means lower prices in the short term and then in the longer term as farmers keep their winning calves away because of the lack of being able to deliver and the lower prices. It will mean an increase in prices in the longer term,” adds Russouw.
VIDEO | Government should intensify the fight against foot and mouth disease outbreak:
