-
Cattle stand in an enclosure.
Agriculture Minister and Democratic Alliance leader, John Steenhuisen, has raised concerns about the impact of foot and mouth disease on the economy and food security.
Steenheisen met AmaZulu King, Misuzulu ka Zwelithini, at the eMashobeni Royal Palace in Nongoma in KwaZulu-Natal.
The provincial Department of Health says there are currently over 130 active foot and mouth cases in the province.
The affected areas include the Zululand, King Cetshwayo and Umkhanyakude districts.
“Foot and mouth is an issue, but I wanna make it clear that it does not affect human beings. So, people can eat red meat as much as they would like. It’s not something that is passed on to humans. The animals themselves also recover very quickly provided the treatment is provided, but the impact is economic, because we can’t trade with those animals; so that has an impact,” says Steenhuisen.
Meanwhile, provincial agriculture MEC, Thembeni KaMadlopha-Mthethwa, says, “We are doing vaccinations throughout the province, and also using the dipping chemicals. We have decided that in each and every tipping tank within those areas, we have to employ people that are going to be responsible for registration and giving out permits. If they want to move, we are saying they must take some blood test before an animal moves out of those areas. We are currently doing that. We are getting cooperation from the community,” explains KaMadlopha-Mthethwa.
