South Africa Cattle Virus Response in ‘Shambles’ Says Dairy Firm
(Bloomberg) — Restrictions imposed by the South African government on the dairy industry to prevent an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease are putting the industry at serious risk, one of the country’s leading dairy companies said.
Clover SA said on Friday that World Organization for Animal Health standards say properly sterilized dairy products are safe for trade and should not require foot-and-mouth conditions or certification.
“However, current measures mean that vaccinated milk is being treated incorrectly and classified as infected milk,” said Clover Chief Executive Johann Vorster. “The government simply got it wrong, didn’t do its homework, or is just screwing it up. It’s an absolute disgrace.”
All nine provinces of South Africa are battling the highly contagious disease, which causes blisters and sores on the mouths and feet of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. The government’s response includes export certification requirements and restricting the movement of animals. Some auctions and large livestock shows have also been cancelled.
Vorster said foot-and-mouth disease eradication measures were “incorrectly conflated with dairy processing standards.” “This stops the export of products that are scientifically safe for human consumption.”
Foot-and-mouth virus barely crosses the species limit for humans, although it can seriously affect the health of cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals and even cause their death.
Milk SA, the legal body representing South Africa’s dairy industry, said in a statement on February 17 that consumption of dairy products such as pasteurized milk, long-life milk, yoghurt, cheese and butter does not pose a risk of being negatively affected by the virus for people.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen will officially receive a shipment of one million FMD vaccines from Argentina on Saturday, with an additional five million doses scheduled to arrive in March. President Cyril Ramaphosa last week declared the pandemic a national disaster.
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