The Agriculture Department has pleaded with auctioneers, meat producers and livestock commercial farmers for patience, as government tries to contain the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
Departmental Director-General Mike Mlengana addressed industry roleplayers in Bela-Bela, Limpopo.
Mlengana says the auction of cattle in four provinces can only resume once the foot and mouth outbreak has been contained.
“Until we track where its origin come from we cannot give a definite timeline but I said to them they must give us three weeks to almost a month, perhaps at that time we will have information that will allow them either to trade or at least to be up to date as to what is going on.”
Meanwhile, farmers are concerned about the loss of income.
“We farmers we are suffering. We have to go and plough depending on this livestock, so for us to plough we have to sell the livestock, so we must buy diesel, the seed, the fertilisers, where will we get money. The only source for us to get money is through auctions.”
