South Africa hopes to regain export access for game and beef
The detection of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) – within the FMD Protection Zone and outside the FMD Protection Zone in the northern part of the KwaZulu-Natal Province in February 2011 – resulted in the loss of South Africa’s FMD-free country status.
However, following the reinstatement of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) status as an "FMD-free zone, where vaccination is not practised", in March last year, the country is keen regain access for its exports, and is currently negotiating with EU officials to resume shipments of game meat, such as antelope.
In May 2014 the European Commission Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG Santé) informed the department that before work started on lifting the game meat ban, "DG Santé needs to be informed about the measures taken by the South African Competent Authority to prevent the recurrence of FMD in the free zone and to quickly detect and control the disease in case of re-incursion", a spokesperson for the Commission told GlobalMeatNews.
The issue was then discussed at the fifth EU-South Africa Trade Cooperation Committee on 24 November 2014, in Brussels, featuring representatives from the Department of Agriculture of South Africa (DAFF) and of DG Santé, with the DAFF committing to sending such a report. However, this has not been forthcoming as yet.
"The Commission looks forward to receiving the report to be able to commence the necessary audit and lift the ban," said the Commission spokesperson.
On 13 January 2015, Senzeni Zokwana, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in South Africa, held a media briefing, in Pretoria, on the status of FMD in South Africa.
He said the department was "jealously guarding any challenge that could threaten the FMD-free zone status in South Africa". Zokwana said another outbreak of FMD could have devastating consequences, with the outbreak in February 2011 estimated to have resulted in economic losses of ZAR4 billion, due to the embargo on exports of agricultural produce.
"To date South Africa is still negotiating market access for game meat to the European Union and beef to the Middle East countries. These were lucrative markets prior to South Africa losing its FMD-free zone status in 2011," he added.
