Botswana’s beef export industry could be closer to regaining access to the South African market after the neighbouring country submitted biosecurity protocols to facilitate the resumption of imports.
It is understood that this will lead to the possibility of establishing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-free zones emerging as a potential solution.
According to South African media reports, South African Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp said his department had submitted the proposed protocols to Botswana and was awaiting an official response. Aucamp is quoted as saying that the resumption of red meat imports from Botswana and Namibia would depend largely on agreements over biosecurity measures as the three countries battle ongoing FMD outbreaks.
‘We have already submitted protocols to that effect to Botswana and are awaiting an official reaction. The compartmentation of FMD-free zones in Botswana is one option that could be considered for the recommencement of imports from that country,’ Aucamp was quoted as saying. The development offers a potential pathway for Botswana’s beef industry, whose access to the South African market has been affected by restrictions on exports and the suspension of cattle movements amid the disease crisis.
The proposed compartmentalisation approach could allow trade to resume from designated areas demonstrated to be free of the disease, subject to acceptable veterinary safeguards and agreement between the two countries. However, an immediate reopening of the market is not guaranteed as Botswana is yet to formally respond to the protocols while the technical requirements for any designated disease-free zones would still need to be agreed upon. Aucamp stressed that regional cooperation was essential to containing the disease, warning that attempts to fight FMD independently would undermine efforts to control its spread.
‘It simply makes sense to work together. It would be counterproductive to try to combat the disease in isolation,’ he said. He added that South Africa had made 50,000 vaccine doses available to Namibia, Eswatini and Lesotho so far this year as part of regional efforts to combat the disease. The minister also said he remained in constant communication with his Namibian counterpart and that South Africa was committed to assisting neighbouring countries where possible. Meanwhile, South Africa is stepping up its domestic vaccination efforts, with private-sector participation playing an increasingly important role in vaccine production and distribution. Aucamp said the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) was currently producing 20,000 vaccine doses a month, against a national cattle herd of approximately 15.2 million animals.
He said millions of doses would be required to vaccinate the country’s cattle effectively, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing veterinary authorities. The minister welcomed the ARC’s decision to make its intellectual property relating to vaccine manufacturing available to private companies, saying royalties generated would be ring-fenced for vaccine production. He also called for improved communication between government and agricultural organisations, arguing that disagreements over the FMD response could have been avoided through constructive engagement.
‘The time has come for role players in the sector to talk with each other and not about each other,’ Aucamp said.