Neil van Laun, from Lidgetton in the Howick district, has described the severe suffering his animals endure from aches, pains, and peeling tongues. He says the disease often spreads before farmers even know it’s present, with symptoms appearing seven to 14 days later. Last week, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen outlined a ten-year, phased plan to tackle the outbreak, starting with stabilisation. However, Van Laun says delayed vaccinations and a lack of state intervention have allowed the disease to spiral out of control. “ Even if they gave us the vaccine today, it’s too late. Whatever they do today or tomorrow is too late because for a vaccine to work properly, you’ve got to vaccinate a healthy animal. And then you need to give it a booster shot four to six weeks later, and then whatever the vaccine requires, you give it at regular intervals. So at the moment, now, this is so widespread, they’ve lost absolute complete control of this disease.”
Sam Busa