Steenhuisen outlines mass vaccination strategy to combat FMD outbreak in KZN

“I've got probably 2,000 milking cows. I've got plans to expand my business, but if we can't get it right, I'm selling up. I've got kids that want to carry on farming, but they don't see a future in it if we can't get this thing right.”

“Until we get FMD free we have to be vaccinated every 6 months and they even say in a pandemic it actually should be every 4 months. When the Botswana vaccine came out there's nothing wrong with the Botswana vaccine, but it was destroyed in the culture. You've got to go ahead of the fire, a raging fire. You can't attack the fire.”

“The vaccine has arrived 6 months too late if not 2 years. You say you're following the Brazilian and Argentinian model, but the problem is here you are not letting the private sector take over and get it down to the fox. We can vaccinate 1500 to 2,000 animals a day.”

“Have you been to a farm at all to go and actually see what's really happening there? I've got kids that want to carry on farming, but if we can't get it right... [The hooves] start peeling off to the point that you can actually put a tape measure almost right underneath the hoof. We've done about 500 cows in the last 10 days.”

“For the last 10 to 15 years, we've been chasing FMD around the country and having to deal with outbreaks when they arise. That's not a strategy that's been working. We needed a new strategy and now we have a very clear pathway forward about how we can get out from underneath foot and mouth disease.”

“The notion that I should have just signed something and I didn't sign something and that's the reason why there was a delay is simply not true because none of these vaccines are registered. They have to follow a section 21 process and that process is managed by SAPRA, which falls under the Department of Health.”

“I can sense from some of the body language and questioning that there's a great sense of hostility towards me and I'm happy to take it. But the reality is you're going to have to work with me if we're going to get on top of this. Has our response been perfect? Absolutely not. But now is not the time to sit and point fingers.”

“We will be prioritizing dairy because of the way dairy responds badly to FMD. We know that dairy responds very badly. So we will from the batch that is coming, there will be a percentage. The intention is to be able to be done with dairy as quick as possible, maybe even before the end of April.”