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Cows being vaccinated against FMD in the Western Cape.
The Western Cape government says the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease will not affect provincial food security. Foot-and-Mouth disease is a viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cows, pigs, sheep and goats.
Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Ivan Meyer, says the current biosecurity protocols will ensure that the province manages the situation effectively.
“For the citizens of the Western Cape, there is no shortage of meat; there will be no immediate impact on the price of meat. That is why the Western Cape cabinet has taken this decision with all seriousness and with all our resources, with a Whole of Society Approach, deal with this matter in the same way as we have dealt with the COVID-19 and we put all the resources and I want to thank the farmers and everybody working with us to make sure that we contain the spread of the virus,” says Meyer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze3yq3MwHE8
Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape government has set aside R55 million as an immediate response to foot-and-mouth disease which is ravaging most provinces.
It has been declared a national disaster.
Spokesperson for the provincial Treasury Department, Phumelele Godongwana, says this will go a long way in fighting the outbreak.
“The funding has been allocated to the Department of Agriculture to immediately procure vaccines. This intervention is aimed at protecting our livestock industry, safeguarding food security and defending the livelihoods of rural communities across the Eastern Cape. Despite ongoing fiscal pressures, the provincial government remains committed to swiftly respond to minimize the socio-economic impact of this outbreak.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA_C_K59uVQ
