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The DA in Limpopo welcomes Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen’s focus on the track and tracing of livestock as set out in the department’s budget speech yesterday.

Despite the fact that Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is highly prevalent in Southern Africa and particularly in provinces like Limpopo which contain Red Zones associated with the African buffalo which infects domestic cloven hooved animals, the department has to date allocated low priority to the combat and prevention of FMD, resulting in not only a lack of transparency when an outbreak occurs but also under reporting of the outbreaks.

The DA in Limpopo has consistently been calling for the Department of Agriculture to urgently adopt and implement the World Organization for Animal Health’s (OIE) guidelines on Livestock Identification and Traceability System(LITS).

A well-managed LITS will broaden the scope of animal recording and adopt a multipurpose approach that integrates animal identification and registration, animal traceability, animal health information and performance recording.

Lack of bio-security control measures threaten our agricultural industry as a whole, which includes game farming and this is a huge cause for concern.

A well-regulated and controlled track and trace system will boost the red meat industry in Limpopo with huge export potential, which in turn will be a catalyst to job creation and prosperity for all our farmers.

Issued by Marie Helm MPL - DA Provincial Spokesperson for Agriculture and Rural Development