FMD is not going away

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been a talking point in South Africa for the past few years, particularly after the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) suspended the country’s FMD-free status due to a 2019 outbreak in Limpopo. The Beefmaster Group estimates that this outbreak cost the livestock industry around R8 billion.

Since then, FMD has spread across several South African provinces, and has resulted in China, the biggest importer of wool and mohair products from South Africa, banning the imports of the by-products of cloven-hoofed animals. This has had a dire impact on South Africa’s wool and mohair sector, as evidenced by the dismal clearance at recent sales.

In a herd infected with FMD, the death of adult animals is rare; however, production will drop due to spontaneous abortions and a decline in milk production in cows, as well as fertility issues in both bulls and female animals.

FMD can infect all cloven-hoofed animals. According to the OIE, it is estimated that the disease circulates in 77% of the livestock population in Africa,