The Western Cape government has escalated its response to the foot-and-mouth disease FMD outbreak, setting aside R100m for vaccine procurement and introducing tighter controls on animal movement as part of an intensified provincial containment strategy.
Premier Alan Winde announced the measures at a media briefing yesterday where he said the provincial cabinet had endorsed a more aggressive, co-ordinated response to ensure the outbreak remains contained within the province.
Winde said agriculture is a critical pillar of the Western Cape economy, contributing about R13.5bn in output and supporting thousands of jobs across the dairy, livestock, game and export sectors. While FMD poses no risk to humans, he warned that uncontrolled spread would have severe consequences for farming livelihoods, food security and trade.
