This follows good rainfall across South Africa. 

The director of South Africa’s Veterinarian Network, Dr. Danie Odendaal, said that while large-scale outbreaks were unlikely this year, even an isolated case could lead to large outbreaks next summer. He added that normal practice is to vaccinate livestock against RVF before the start of the rainy season.

LEES OOK: Wees op die uitkyk vir dieresiektes soos slenkdalkoors ná reën

However, the editor of Farmer’s Weekly, Janine Ryan, stated due to the chronic shortage of vaccines in South Africa, it is difficult to determine the extent to which RVF vaccinations were carried out in 2022.

Odendaal urged livestock owners to report suspected cases of the disease to a veterinarian as a matter of urgency. He also warned that the carcasses of animals believed to be infected with RVF need to be handled with extreme care. This is because it is a viral zoonotic disease that can only be confirmed via post-mortem examination.

Another news story this week looks at the South African pork industry. The CEO of the South African Pork Producers Organisation (SAPPO), Johann Kotzé, said there are prevailing negative public perceptions of farmers.

With many organisations citing welfare concerns as a reason for shunning meat, Kotzé explained that positive and accurate messaging is required to turn this negative tide. He added that any communication has to be authentic and backed up by evidence of improved practices.

ALSO READ: Humans mostly responsible for spread of African swine fever

Kotzé told Farmer’s Weekly that consumers had no faith in farmers and that they had a negative perception of what happened on farms.

He further explained that SAPPO was actively working to change the image of the farmer through the Pork 360 programme, which gives the industry set standards that need to be adhered to.

ALSO READ: High production costs: tough year ahead for chicken industry

Farmer’s Weekly also sheds some light on the tight margins that the poultry industry experienced in 2022 and how they were carried over to 2023. Ryan added tight margins can be attributed to load-shedding and high input costs.

FNB’s Paul Makube stated that even though South Africa is well supplied with chicken, rolling blackouts had already disrupted operations during December 2022 when the intermittent availability of certain product lines of some fast food outlets was experienced.

However, as power cuts have worsened, the entire value chain was impacted. This included abattoirs, feed mills and other processes.

OFM News