Foot-and-Mouth Disease spreads to Richmond and Ixopo, call for urgent action to protect commercial dairy farms
Foot-and-Mouth Disease has spread to Ixopo and Richmond according uMngeni Municipality mayor Chris Pappas.
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New Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) detections in Richmond and Ixopo have intensified concerns that the outbreak is nearing KwaZulu-Natal’s main dairy-production belt, including Creighton, Mooi River and Howick.
Chris Pappas, mayor of the uMngeni Municipality in the KZN Midlands warned in a statement, that the province could face major financial and food-security consequences if the disease reaches large commercial herds.
He said the impact could run into “hundreds of millions of rands,” affecting farmers, jobs and the wider agricultural value chain.
“The spread of FMD into our core dairy regions would devastate farmers and severely disrupt the agricultural value chain,” Pappas said. “We cannot afford delays or half-measures. Urgent containment is essential.”
He added that the outbreak is escalating ahead of the festive season, a period marked by increased movement of livestock for cultural, commercial and social purposes.
“With the festive season approaching, the risk of rapid transmission increases dramatically. Without strong and coordinated interventions, the outbreak will spread faster than we can contain it,” he said.
He called on the provincial government to seek immediate support from the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to enforce livestock movement controls, implement roadblocks and ensure quarantine compliance.
Pappas added that the agricultural sector in KwaZulu-Natal is already under strain and that delays in intervention could result in lasting economic damage.
“We stand ready to support all efforts to contain this outbreak. The provincial government must act now to protect farmers, rural communities, and the province’s contribution to national food production,” he said.