FMD restrictions lifted north of redline

The government has lifted restrictions on the movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their products in areas north of the veterinary cordon fence, after preliminary tracing and livestock inspections found no evidence that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) had spread beyond the ||Kharas Region.

The decision takes immediate effect and marks the first significant easing of restrictions imposed after FMD was confirmed in the Karasburg veterinary district on 23 September.

The ministry of agriculture said livestock that had moved from the infected farm to the Otjozondjupa Region before the outbreak was detected were traced and tested negative for FMD, clearing the herd of infection.

The ministry said the outbreak remains localised to ||Kharas, with no evidence of transmission to areas north of the cordon fence.

However, movement of cloven-hoofed animals and products including meat, skins, unpasteurised milk, butter and kraal manure from south of the cordon fence into northern areas remains restricted.

Protocols allowing cooked meat, pasteurised milk and butter to move from the north to the south of the cordon will resume, subject to the Animal Health Act.

Restrictions eased further

South of the cordon fence, excluding ||Kharas, restrictions have also been eased on raw meat stored at registered abattoirs, butcheries and cold-storage facilities, provided documentation proving the origin of the meat is carried.

Meat purchased from retailers and butcheries may also be moved if proof of purchase is presented.

Restrictions have further been lifted on the movement of baled grass, lucerne, straw, forage, hay, silage and crop residue, except from ||Kharas.

The ministry said livestock in approved feedlots and quarantine stations may be moved to registered abattoirs for direct slaughter if they have been in establishments with approved biosecurity measures for at least 30 days, no new animals were introduced during that period and the animals test negative for FMD.

Slaughtering at registered abattoirs is permitted where animals have been isolated for 30 days and tested negative.

Farmers may slaughter animals for their own consumption, but the resulting meat and products may not be transported from the premises.

Farm or homestead slaughter for commercial sale remains prohibited until further notice.

The government has also permitted the nationwide movement and trade of cooked processed meat products, pasteurised milk and dairy products, and hides processed up to the wet-blue stage.

17 positive samples

The easing comes after 17 of 199 samples collected during intensified FMD surveillance tested positive.

All confirmed positive cases have so far been confined to the Karasburg district in the ||Kharas Region.

Minister in the Presidency and acting minister of agriculture Charles Mubita said at a media briefing at State House on Saturday that traceability investigations, clinical examinations and further testing were under way to establish the extent of the outbreak.

The outbreak was confirmed on 23 September after 10 of 11 samples taken from a herd of 65 cattle on a commercial farm in the Karasburg district tested positive.

The 65 cattle on the affected farm, as well as animals on surrounding farms, remain under strict monitoring.

During follow-up investigations, four cattle were identified as having been moved from the affected farm in Karasburg to Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa Region.

The four animals were among 30 cattle tested on 24 September. The remaining 26 animals were tested as a precaution and were not linked to the affected farm.

“The objective is to establish the extent of the infection as quickly as possible and determine when and where the current restrictions can gradually be eased,” Mubita said.

“Analysis of traceability data from the affected farm and surrounding areas is still incomplete, as the 14-day incubation period has not yet elapsed.”

Three arrested

Despite the easing of restrictions outside ||Kharas, enforcement measures remain in place in areas affected by the outbreak.

Three men have been arrested in separate incidents around Karasburg after allegedly being found in possession of sheep carcasses during stop-and-search operations at roadblocks.

The men face charges under the Animal Health Act.

Anyone convicted of an offence under the Act could face a fine of up to N$100,000 or imprisonment for up to five years, or both.

Deputy Commissioner Godfriedt Kauhanda, head of operations in the ||Kharas Region, stressed the seriousness of the outbreak.

“This is a national disaster; we do not want to take chances. We are seriously appealing to everyone to help us contain this outbreak,” Kauhanda said.

Questions remain

The latest easing of restrictions follows questions from industry and political circles about the legal, scientific and economic basis of the measures initially imposed nationwide.

National Assembly member Job Amupanda, through his lawyers, Kadhila Amoomo Legal Practitioners, demanded urgent clarification from Mubita over the restrictions imposed following the detection of FMD at the Karasburg farm.

Amupanda’s lawyers questioned why restrictions on the movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their products had been applied nationwide when the outbreak was detected at a single commercial farm within the FMD Free Zone.

He also questioned the continued relevance of the cordon fence, commonly known as the redline, arguing that communities north of the fence that were not affected by the outbreak were being subjected to the same restrictions as areas linked to the outbreak.

Among the issues raised were the specific legal provisions authorising the restrictions, whether domestic and customary slaughter for funerals and weddings was prohibited, the scientific justification for treating the country as a single epidemiological unit, and the economic impact of the measures.

A Windhoek-based food manufacturer, speaking anonymously, also questioned why the entire cattle population on the farm where the outbreak originated had not been culled and destroyed while livestock movement and related operations remained restricted.

The manufacturer called on the Directorate of Veterinary Services to make public the risk assessment supporting its decision to keep the cattle under monitoring while imposing restrictions elsewhere.

The company also questioned the status of cloven-hoofed animals on farms that came into contact with the Karasburg cattle or fall within the 30km radius of the infected farm.

“If these animals have not been culled and destroyed and animals can still move with permits, what justifies DVS’s decision to shut down the entire country while animals that were in close proximity to infected cattle remain alive?” the manufacturer questioned.

The ministry said the public would be updated as the disease situation develops.

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