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The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture heard of the extent of the damage caused by foot and mouth disease (FMD) from farmers based in the Fezile Dabi District in the Free State, during the committee’s three-day oversight visit in the province.
 
The farmers said they have experienced massive losses as a result of the disease, which they said broke out at a time when the provincial Department of Agriculture was completely unprepared to deal with the crisis and prevent their animals from becoming infected. They believe the spread of FMD could have been avoided.
 
One Free State farmer told the committee he has lost over R40 million since the beginning of the outbreak. He said no preventative vaccines were administered before the outbreak and that vaccination occurred a long time after his animals became infected. He spent between R4 000 to R6 000 vaccinated each cow and he required over R6 million to vaccinate all the animals in his herd, he said.
 
Some farmers called for a partnership with the private sector and the government to fight the disease and to test, produce and roll out vaccines. The committee heard that the private sector would welcome such a partnership, particularly for containment efforts.
 
Meanwhile, in Kroonstad the committee heard that piggeries are severely impacted by the disease and that pigs should be prioritised in vaccination strategies.
 
Farmers on commonages appealed for grazing land from the municipalities for their cattle and for fencing those grazing camps to prevent the spread of FMD. Farmers also requested assistance in the provision of feedlots for their livestock and for vaccinated animals to be labelled for tracking purposes.
 
In a meeting with the Free State MEC for Agriculture and the national Department of Agriculture, the portfolio committee Chairperson, Ms Dina Pule, highlighted the farmers’ concerns. The department noted that, since FMD was declared a national disaster, the department has put aside sufficient funds to vaccinate farmers’ herds, and it will also engage with National Treasury for more funds to compensate for losses due to FMD.
 
Ms Pule welcomed the efforts that have been put in place to fight the disease with appreciation but called for broadened collaboration with all the relevant roleplayers in the province. Collaboration and meaningful cooperation are the first resources required to push back the frontiers of this disease, she said. “We are also assuring the province of the committee’s full support in the fight against this disease and other enemies of animal farming in the province.”

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the chairperson of the portfolio committee on agriculture, Dina Pule