Small-scale farmers in Tsetse village outside Mahikeng in the North-West say they fear being left behind as the government rolls out foot-and-mouth disease vaccines around the country.
Some smallholder farmers say they are relying on home remedies to try to protect their cattle from a disease that is already affecting their livelihoods.
South Africa has been facing sporadic outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease since 2021. The North-West is one of the hardest hit provinces in the most recent outbreak, with 179 cases reported by mid-March, according to the latest official statistics.
Home remedies while farmers wait
While they wait for the vaccination programme to reach their area, farmers in Tsetse village are using home remedies to control the spread of this highly infectious disease.
“As poor small farmers, we use Dettol as a dipping method regularly to control the spread of FMD on cattle skin,” says Thapelo Seadimo, who farms with 14 cows.
“But we really need the vaccine. The possibility of losing our cattle also affects our mental health.”
A threat to herds and livelihoods
Johannes Tsotetsi says the outbreak is threatening his herd of 23 cows and his entire livelihood.
Four of his cattle have already been infected, and he can’t sell his livestock due to the outbreak restrictions.
“The disease has taken an emotional and financial toll on me and other farmers,” he says.
Forty-eight-year-old Klass Motshabi, a second-generation small-scale farmer, also from Tsetse village, says he has been battling the disease for the past three months. His herd of 10 cows grazes communally with other farmers’ animals.
“There were cattle transported from Ventersdorp to Tsetse for exchange and breeding purposes,” he says.
“They got mixed with ours. That’s how my cows got infected with the disease. I started seeing blisters and lesions in the mouth and on the feet, as well as excessive salivation.”
This is the first time Motshabi has had a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in his herd. “Two of my cows got infected,” he says.
How the disease spreads
The viral disease does not affect humans, but spreads easily among animals, including cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, says Dr Simon Mosenogi, an animal health technician and state veterinarian in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality.
According to the Red Meat Industry Services, foot-and-mouth disease causes blisters and ulcers on the mouth, tongue, teats, and hooves. This can cause pain, fever, and a sharp drop in milk and meat production.
“The virus is highly contagious in cattle, pigs, sheep and goats,” says Mosenogi.
He says the virus is spread through saliva, milk, breath and other fluids from infected animals, and can survive for long periods in the environment.
Farmers want faster communication
The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said on 14 March that 53,110 animals had already been vaccinated out of the first 100,000 doses received. It also said vaccines would reach smaller villages and communities as the rollout expands.
But Tsotetsi is not convinced that small farmers in villages like Tsetse will get help in time.
“I doubt that we will receive the vaccine, seeing how vast and wide Mahikeng villages are,” he says.
“I hope the government does not gatekeep these vaccines, because it is us poor small farmers who will be badly affected by the disease.”
He says four of his cows are already infected.
“I fear I would have to start culling if I do not get the vaccine.” – Health-e News
