The pork production sector faced the most challenging year in terms of animal health, but has not yet fully recovered from outbreaks of diseases such as African Swine Fever (ASF) and Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).
This was reported by the South African Pork Producers Organisation (Sappo) during its recent annual meeting held at the Silverlake Farm Hotel in Pretoria. Sappo explained how farmers are adapting to what has become the new normal.
In a statement, the organization reported that the industry has been working tirelessly to address 17 cases of FMD that occurred in commercial pig farms. Additionally, nearly 20,000 vaccines against FMD have been released and registered on the World of Pork digital platform.
"The outbreak led to changes in FMD control management methods. Revised control measures according to Section 9 were published around July last year," stated Sappo.
Sappo also noted that the partnership between Sappo, Kwanalu, and the Red Meat Producers Organisation helped settle charges for livestock movement in disease control zones and ensure its survival.
Sappo's CEO, Dr. Marlene Lou, emphasized that they used these outbreaks to strengthen FMD countermeasures. "We decided not to let the crisis pass. We moved from advocating for risk-based proportional control measures to implementing them, adapting our systems to a reality where producers farm under the constant risk of FMD. The industry emerging from this year is more resilient than the one that entered it," she said.
According to Sappo, the disease outbreak affected the prices of imported pork, which prompted information campaigns. "Sappo conducted mentorship programs to support small farmers and producers; these farm visits and mentoring contributed to improved biosecurity and increased the pass rate to 70%."
Furthermore, the academy registered about 131 completed modules, and Agri SETA underwent business skills and leadership program training at Stellenbosch Business School.