Farmer's Weekly reports the transport of live animals through Botswana is also banned. According to the department’s directive, all permits issued in this regard are cancelled with immediate effect. This followed after large-scale testing of cattle in KwaZulu-Natal by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development during the last week of May, confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the Mtubatuba area in the northern part of the province.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, has announced that Mtubatuba and surrounding areas – two districts and three municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal – have temporarily been declared cloven-hoofed animals stand still areas. This followed after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease was detected in the province. The CEO at Afrivet, Dr Peter Oberem, says biosecurity is important in order to prevent the disease from spreading or breaking out on a farm.

AND

The South African agricultural sector had a good start to 2021, with favourable rainfall supporting crop yields and grazing veld for the livestock industry. Wandile Sihlobo, the chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, Agbiz, says this is a second consecutive season of strong performance for the sector after 2020 also saw bumper harvests on various crops and subsequently the second-largest export earnings on record of 10.2 billion US-Dollars. With 2021 set to present even larger yields than 2020 for major field crops, horticulture and the wine industry, Sihlobo says they believe that exports could surpass 2020 levels.

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