FMD outbreak near Gouda remains contained, quarantine under review

The area was placed under quarantine following a confirmed outbreak of FMD on a single farm in the region in November last year.

Only the affected farm tested positive during the first round of tests, with ongoing monitoring and inspections confirming that the disease remains confined to that property.

Western Cape Department of Agriculture head of communications, Mary James, confirmed via WhatsApp that depopulation of animals on the infected farm was continuing.

She said the farm would need to be completely cleared of animals and disinfected, after which a further 28-day period would be required before the quarantine on that farm could be lifted.

However, James stressed that this waiting period would not apply to surrounding farms.

“The quarantine on neighbouring farms will be lifted as soon as their second round of test results come back negative,” she said.

According to Louis Wessels, Agri Western Cape’s legal services and administration manager and a member of the province’s FMD joint operations centre, the delays have been particularly frustrating for commercial and stud breeders, who are unable to participate in auctions while the quarantine remains in place.

“Animals from farms that tested negative may still be sold for direct slaughter, but commercial farmers and stud breeders are effectively locked out of auctions,” Wessels said.

He added that the testing process must be expedited. “Unfortunately, the testing and analysis could thus far not be sped up. We understand that the state laboratories are being flooded with samples, but we need to ensure that the turnaround time on these tests are expedited.”

Despite the delays, Wessels praised the response from all role-players. “We have seen an excellent reaction from producers, as well as at municipal, provincial and national level. Everyone reacted quickly and played their part.”

He attributed this readiness partly to the action plan developed by the province’s FMD task team, initiated by the provincial Red Meat Producers’ Organisation structures two years prior to the outbreak.

The outbreak has also provided valuable lessons for the province. “Until this first outbreak, everything we planned was theoretical. The experience has allowed us to refine the plan, and we have realised that many processes, including test turnaround times, take longer than anticipated,” Wessels said.

He added that the rapid response by all stakeholders, together with strict on-farm biosecurity, had helped prevent the spread of the disease.

“The Western Cape, as far as we are aware, is the only province where FMD has been contained to the original farm. We have been preaching biosecurity for a long time, and it is heart-warming to see producers reaping the benefits of that.”