The Department of Agriculture has vaccinated 84 655 animals as a preventative measure and strongly recommends all livestock farmers in the entire country to limit animal movement as far as possible.

THE Department of Agriculture has raised the alarm on Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks in the Kouga and Kou-kamma Municipalities of the Eastern Cape province as cattle on 26 farms have tested positive for the disease.

The department has declared a Disease Management Area (DMA) in a further effort to prevent spreading of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).

Cattle on these positive farms had been vaccinated to decrease the viral load and to control the severity of the clinical signs seen in especially dairy cattle. Positive farms were placed under quarantine with strict movement control.

The boundaries of the DMA would be detailed in the related Government Gazette Notice.

The department said requests were received to preventatively vaccinate dairy cattle on farms that have not been confirmed as being FMD positive but were at high risk of infection.

Permission was given to preventatively vaccinate cattle on 29 farms. Animals on a further 7 farms were vaccinated after veterinary officials reported suspect clinical signs. In total, 84 655 animals were vaccinated on 62 farms.

It added that the DMA would make it possible to control movements of animals out of, into and within the affected area.

“The main aim of the DMA is to prevent outward spread of the outbreaks, to areas not previously affected. In addition, the DMA aims to decrease further spread of the disease within the affected area, as this will decrease the viral load and infection pressure of the area,” it said.

“No cloven-hoofed animals, animal products derived from cloven-hoofed animals or genetic material of cloven-hoofed animals may be moved from, to or within the Disease Management Areas of the Eastern Cape Province except under authority of a state veterinary permit contemplated in Regulation 20 (1) of the Regulations and in compliance with the conditions of such permit.”

In addition to the control measures of the Eastern Cape DMA, the July 2024 Gazette Notice also stipulated that cloven-hoofed livestock may only be moved if accompanied by a health declaration from the owner of the animals, attesting to their health at the time of moving.

All cattle, sheep, and goats newly brought onto a farm must be kept separated from the resident herds for at least 28 days. This has been a requirement by law since October 2022, but the importance of this was again emphasized.

The department strongly recommends to all livestock farmers in the whole country to limit animal movement as far as possible.

“Cloven hoofed animals should not be moved unless it is necessary to allow for an opportunity to find and quarantine further undetected, affected properties to prevent any further spread of the disease. The significance of the incubation period for FMD cannot be over-emphasized,” it said.

“This is the period when animals appear to be healthy, in the early stages of infection (incubation period) where they are shedding virus without showing clinical signs of disease yet.”

Farmers were again urged to observe biosecurity on their farms and to protect their own herds from becoming infected with disease.

Section 11 of the Animal Diseases Act imposed a legal duty on any owner or manager of animals to take all reasonable steps to prevent their animals from becoming infected with any disease and to prevent the spread of any disease from their animals or land to other animals or other properties.

FMD is a controlled animal disease in terms of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act No 35 of 1984) and the Act prescribes certain control measures, like isolation and movement control, that were being enforced by Veterinary Services.

Should any suspicious clinical symptoms like salivation, blisters in the mouth, limping or hoof lesions be seen, the department said those should be reported to the local State Veterinarian immediately and such animals must not be moved under any circumstances.