Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been coming for the past two years, but as always politicians wait for a disaster to develop before “action” is taken (“Ramaphosa declares foot-and-mouth outbreak a national disaster”, February 12).
The cost to farmers, their staff and millions in rural communities is immense. The lesser impact, to meat prices and all dairy products, is still coming. If farmers were legally allowed to vaccinate their cattle themselves, they would have shielded against this long ago.
It’s a pipedream thinking the “national herd” will be vaccinated. Speak to any farmer and you’ll quickly understand this.
Real action would be to:
- Privatise Onderstepoort. The financial incentive will mean vaccines for all diseases will be produced long before to meet demand.
- Amend the law to remove FMD as a state-only managed disease. How can it be a criminal act to try to prevent your cattle from dying a drawn-out, agonising death?
Craig Burns
Via Business Day online
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