PODCAST: Government and industry’s efforts to control animal disease spread must be lauded

The past three years have been challenging for South Africa’s livestock and poultry industry because of the spread of animal diseases.

We’ve had outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, African swine fever in pigs, and avian influenza in poultry. While animal disease outbreaks are not unique to South Africa and are common across the world, South Africa’s challenges have intensified in the recent past.

The cost of diseases in the livestock industry is felt through the loss of livestock and reduced exports to global markets in times of outbreaks.

However, the country is now taking significant steps to control the spread of diseases.

On October 25 2024, the department of agriculture released even more positive news, which we believe will further support the recovery of the industry. The department announced that the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak of 2021/2022 has been resolved in the North West, the Free State, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. “These provinces, initially impacted by the outbreak, have now completed comprehensive testing of animals on quarantined farms. The results indicate that the foot-and-mouth disease virus is no longer present,” it said.

This podcast is produced by Richard Humphries, Sam Mkokeli, and Amanda Murimba