Individuals or companies that tell farmers they must pay upfront to obtain vaccines, or register on specific systems to qualify for them, are spreading “absolute nonsense”, according to the FMD Industry Coordination Council.
By Alani Janeke, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
The Industry Coordination Council, appointed to strengthen government’s response to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), indicated in the second week of February that it was aware of such messages and warned farmers to exercise caution. The messages are, however, still being circulated via WhatsApp and other platforms, says Dewald Olivier, CEO of Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) and chair of the Industry Coordination Council. He describes these claims as “absolute nonsense”.
Olivier explains that there are two scenarios relating to vaccines. The first applies where animals have tested positive for FMD and will be vaccinated by the state.
“We need to state this clearly: The state veterinarian, or an approved private veterinarian in your area, will receive permission to assist with vaccinations. We are not yet certain how this will be implemented, whether the veterinarian will administer the vaccine or whether the farmer will be authorised to vaccinate their own animals,” he says.
The second scenario applies to producers who want to vaccinate preventively. In this case, vaccines will be available for purchase once South Africa has secured sufficient volumes....
Individuals or companies that tell farmers they must pay upfront to obtain vaccines, or register on specific systems to qualify for them, are spreading “absolute nonsense”, according to the FMD In...