The government’s ban on the movement of cattle could severely affect the multimillion-rand livestock industry and lead to a shortage of red meat as well as influence prices during December if it lasts more than the proposed three weeks, industry stakeholders say.
Agriculture, land reform & rural development minister Thoko Didiza gazetted a ban on the movement of cattle recently in an effort to curb the outbreak of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease.
The outbreak threatens the livestock industry, a key segment of the agricultural sector with an annual turnover of more than R80bn. It is responsible for about 500,000 jobs.
The sector, which produces more than 21% of the total meat produced in Africa and exports about 4% of beef, has been dogged by outbreaks of the disease in recent years, prompting several countries to ban imports of SA meat and related products.
In April, China announced a ban on imports of all cloven-hoofed animal goods, including wool, beef and other red meat products from SA due to an outbreak, caused by the illegal movement of animals out of the controlled zones in Limpopo.
The government of KwaZulu-Natal, which is among provinces affected by the latest outbreak, has said nearly R130m was needed to contain the outbreak of the viral disease, which affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and pigs.
Due to Didiza’s order, cattle may not be moved from one property to another for any reason for 21 days, reviewable weekly, said spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo.
On Friday, SA Feedlot Association CEO Dewald Olivier said that “financially, the association has seen a real impact, [but] the members have not experienced losses at this stage”.
“From an administrative perspective, the association has been inundated with calls for more information and requests for discussions regarding the current standstill,” Olivier said.
“The administrative [and] logistical risks and concerns are growing for our members.
“The standstill means that no cattle enters the feedlot and could, if it lasts beyond the proposed 21 days, have an adverse effect on the availability of red meat and influence prices in December.”
Outbreaks
Ngcobo said the country was experiencing 116 outbreaks of the disease involving farms, feedlots and communal areas in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Free State.
Didiza acknowledged efforts by farmers, communities and industries to curb illegal movements of animals from known positive areas, and to improve biosecurity on animal holdings, Ngcobo said.
“The minister recognises the major disruption that the movement ban will cause in the normal business of many sectors. For this reason, the ban is only applicable to cattle, as the movement of cattle was identified as the main cause of the continued spread of the outbreaks.”
As all cloven-hoofed animals can spread the virus, the movement of sheep, goats, pigs and cloven-hoofed game animals should also be handled with the “necessary caution”, he said.
Red Meat Producers Organisation CEO Gerhard Schutte did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
After the ban was gazetted, many people phoned radio talk shows complaining that the restrictions would affect upcoming lobola negotiations, a process that culminates in prospective husbands paying bride prices in cattle.
JP Smith, COO of leading auction house Wildswinkel, said there were no restrictions on game auctions. “At the moment, in our game business, we are continuing with our operations with caution. We hope that the situation will be resolved so that our fellow auctioneers can trade,” Smith said.
Auction
There will be an auction on September 3 at Zebula Country Club, Limpopo, by Stud Game Breeders, of which President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm, Phala Phala, is part.
Gernie Botha, CEO of Free State Agriculture, a commercial farmers’ organisation, said the outbreak was a “huge concern”.
“We see it as a rather serious matter, coming with challenges as far as economics are concerned … if a farmer is not able to auction his livestock, it will affect the cash flow and could influence your ability to pay your employees.”
It was too soon to quantify losses due to the outbreak.
“I hope this matter is going to be addressed very soon.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.