SA borders closed for UK animal products

The SA government has confirmed that until further notice, no veterinary import permits would be issued for cloven-hoofed animals and products derived therefrom originating from the UK. En-route consignments will be detained at the ports of entry and unused veterinary import permits will be cancelled, following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the UK. SA’s agriculture department has welcomed the self-imposed embargo by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs following the outbreak. The British government placed the farm where the latest cases emerged, and the surrounding area in Surrey, under quarantine to contain the disease after its incidence was confirmed there recently. South Africa has surveillance and control programmes in place for FMD and earned international “free from FMD” status from the World Organisation for Animal Health through years of dedicated animal disease control. The last outbreak occurred in the UK in 2001, and saw over 2 000 cases on farms throughout the countryside. The outbreak resulted in the slaughtering of about seven million sheep and cattle. – Bua News