SOUTH Africa has made commendable progress in containing and closing the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks that have plagued the country since 2021, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) said in a statement issued on 27 March.
DALRRD said at the time only KwaZulu-Natal and Free State had areas with unresolved outbreaks in the previous FMD-free zones. All other outbreaks in the previous FMD-free zone had been resolved and closed with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
“In KwaZulu-Natal and Free State, there are some farms and areas that have been quarantined owing to FMD, and animals may not move from these quarantined areas. However, some districts of these provinces have not been affected and can also be considered as FMD-free areas,” DALRRD said.
No cases of FMD were reported in Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape, meaning that they have remained FMD-free without vaccination. The last outbreaks in the previous FMD-free zones in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West were reported more than a year ago, in November 2022. The outbreaks on affected premises in these provinces were resolved and closed with the WOAH.
There is no blanket prohibition on the export of cloven-hoofed animals or animal products from areas in South Africa that are not under restriction owing to FMD.
However, the requirements of the importing country must be complied with, and this may exclude some of the areas listed above. Clients are reminded to always obtain the veterinary health requirement certificate prior to preparing consignments for export, DALRRD advised.
