RMIS Welcomes Announcement of Rapid Response Team for Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreaks

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RMIS Welcomes Announcement of Rapid Response Team for Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreaks

The Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) welcomes the recent announcement by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen of the formation of a rapid response team under section 2(1) of the Animal Diseases Act. This team is tasked with addressing all current outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), providing immediate support and critical decision-making assistance within the first 48 hours of an outbreak.

The team, composed of seven government and industry experts, includes Dr Mpho Maja, Dr Shaun Morris, Dr Jared Strydom, Dr Patricia Froneman, Dr Mmatlou Kalaba, and Dr Gerhard Neethling. Their mandate includes ensuring regular communication, offering guidelines on how affected farmers should handle milk, meat, and other produce from impacted areas, and bringing in agricultural specialists to assess the economic impact on those regions.

Rapid Response Team Formation

The newly established Rapid Response Team will serve as the apex body, representing all relevant stakeholders. It will be supported by three specialised workstreams designed to address various aspects of the FMD outbreak.

Workstreams Overview

Disease Control: This workstream will focus on critical issues, including alternative abattoirs, vaccination strategies, movement controls, surveillance, scientific and technical justification, and the reconsideration of automatic revocation of declared status.

Trade and Market Access: This workstream will concentrate on both local and international market access, facilitating engagements with international trading partners to maintain and restore trade relations.

Communication: Ensuring transparency and consistency, this workstream will keep all stakeholders informed and aligned with unified messaging.

RMIS is committed to supporting the red meat industry and mitigating the impact of the FMD outbreak through coordinated efforts and strategic partnerships. We are confident that these measures will strengthen our disease control capabilities, safeguard market access, and ensure effective communication among all stakeholders.