Some experts say the appearance of Foot-and-Mouth disease in the Humansdorp area of the Eastern Cape is a big surprise. The Kouga Municipality has put an information campaign in place, as part of measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
The municipality says they are concerned that the outbreak could have a negative impact on the economy.
A local veterinarian, Anthony Davis, says, “The farm manager sent us photographs and we could not believe it as we have never seen Foot-and-Mouth in this are before. It seems impossible and our thoughts were ‘this could not be happening’. We took samples and sent them off to the ODI and the farm was quarantined immediately and the next day, within 18 hours, we had confirmation it was Foot-and-Mouth. What we did was to put out a warning to farmers that we suspect it to ensure their gates were lock and they apply good bio security.”
The Kouga Municipality in the Eastern Cape has put in place an information campaign to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease detected on a farm near Humansdorp.
The municipality’s Head of Environmental Management Christa Venter says it is important that subsistence farmers in the area are informed about the disease.
Venter says they are concerned that the outbreak could negatively impact the economy.
“We have also set up a Joint Operations Committee that we will be meeting every day so we can say how to assist and to spread the word to everybody to see what is happening and this is what the effects will be. We are very concerned because of the dairy industry,” says Venter.
VIDEO | Foot-and-mouth disease | Preventative and quarantine measures in place in the Eastern Cape:
