Dairy Farmer Loses Almost R2 Million Due to Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak

• As the foot-and-mouth disease continues to ravage the country, one farmer is reeling from his losses
• The Magliesburg-based farmer has lost almost R2 million in milk production, which severely affected his dairy production
• The Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, recently announced the availability of a vaccine that is expected to curb the outbreak

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, contributed coverage of international and local social issues, including health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests, and immigration in South Africa, during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

MAGALIESBURG, GAUTENG — A Magaliesburg, Gauteng farmer’s milk production has been severely affected by the deadly foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease. His operations have been set back by R1.9 million as his entire herd has been infected with FMD.

According to Eyewitness News, Jaco Botha said his herd of 700 cattle has been struck with the FMD due to the outbreak that the South African government has been struggling for years to contain. Botha, who is a milk farmer, said his milk production has significantly dropped.

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Gauteng farmer laments FMD outbreak

Botha remarked that the virus has resulted in a 60% loss in output. Each day, his cattle produce between 5,000 and 6,000 fewer milk litres. When calculated over 50 days, he said, the amount of milk he has lost amounts to at least 250,000 litres of milk. However, Botha was among the first cattle farmers in the country to receive FMD vaccinations after the Gauteng provincial government received 70,000 doses from Argentina.

FMD, farmers, and the government’s reaction

South African farmers have been devastated by the FMD outbreak, and fingers have been pointed at the government’s response. This was evident in the sentiments of Eastern Cape farmer Edgar Brotherton, who has a farm in Khwa. Speaking to News24, Brotherton said the Department of Agriculture was an obstacle to the ongoing crisis. He blamed Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen for failing to contain the rapid spread of the disease in the Eastern Cape. He believed that the outbreak could have been controlled if vaccines had been made available to affected communities.

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Research conducted by the Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI) showed that a significant portion of farmers share the same feelings as Brotherton. About 95% of the over 2000 respondents questioned the government’s response to the outbreak and said it was too slow. A further 47% blamed over-centralised state control. Freedom Front Plus’ Chief spokesperson on agriculture, Wynand Boshoff, remarked that the findings illustrate how farmers have lost confidence in the government’s response to the outbreak. He feared that the arrival of the vaccines would not be enough to reverse the damage wrought on livestock.

South African government receives vaccines

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the South African government received the first shipment of vaccines for the deadly foot-and-mouth disease outbreak from Argentina. The shipment arrived at the OR Tambo International Airport on 21 February as the government ramped up efforts to combat the outbreak.

Steenhuisen spoke at the airport and said that the South African government was confident that the vaccine would help the country get ahead of the outbreak. Steenhuisen pointed out that the country needed to achieve an “FMD-Free Status,” which was vital for reopening lucrative export markets and securing the long-term biodiversity of the country’s farming sector.

Source: Briefly News