Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been looming for the past two years, yet as is often the case, politicians have delayed taking action until a crisis emerges.
The costs to farmers, their employees, and countless people in rural areas are significant. The broader impact on meat prices and dairy products is still imminent. If farmers had the legal right to vaccinate their cattle themselves, they could have protected them long ago.
Speaking to VOC News, Johann Kotzé, CEO of AgriSA, commented on the situation.
“Our president called it what it is — a national crisis and at least there’s no denial of that. We need to focus on what we can do to combat the virus and less on what went wrong,” said Kotzé.
*Listen to the full interview here.
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