EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

During February, the incidence of livestock diseases was still dominated by the continued incidence of foot-and-mouth disease, and the start of the vaccination campaign with the first vaccines received.

Furthermore, climatic factors, especially the continued and high rainfall, drove the disease trends. Internal parasites, especially wire worm in sheep and liver fluke caused losses and it is predicted that liver fluke and then conical stomach fluke cases will increase in the next 2 to 3 months in the specific areas where they do occur.

The insect-borne diseases also caused major problems with outbreaks of lumpy skin disease that occurred and to a lesser extent three-day stiff-sickness in cattle and
bluetongue in sheep, which did pose a major challenge in specific areas. The single case of Rift Valley Fever that occurred in the Northern Cape at the end of last year fortunately did not spread further and this offers producers this winter the
opportunity, to get vaccinations up to date.