How efficient will the new FMD authorisation system be for farmers?

Farmers are now able to administer vaccines through an online system. Minister of Agriculture, Willie Aucamp, has launched a self-vaccination application portal for livestock owners in an effort to curb the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The live system provides crucial control to farmers, allowing them to apply for official authorisation to vaccinate their own animals and prevent potential FMD outbreaks faster than before. New FMD system launch “The launch of this system means that the owners and managers of cattle will be able to perform voluntary vaccination of their livestock against FMD,” Aucamp noted. Livestock owners are now able to register on the FMD reporting site by following the requirements outlined in the step-by-step guidelines. He added that the system was designed in line with biosecurity requirements, legal prescripts, and conditions, including traceability and reporting on vaccinations that were applied. Process The process has been divided into three parts. The application must be completed by an authorised person. Owners and managers of livestock can apply on the FMD reporting system to be approved as an ‘Authorised Person’ to administer the FMD vaccination in terms of the Act. Once they are approved as an “Authorised Person”, they will be required to give notice of their intention to vaccinate to the Provincial Director of Veterinary Services or the applicable State Veterinarian for the area concerned. “This notification needs to be done at least five days before administering the vaccine, and it can be done either via the online system or in writing.” Aucamp noted. After the authorised persons have given notice of their intention to vaccinate, they will be able to obtain the required vaccines directly from their authorised veterinarian in their area. The authorised person must provide the local state veterinarian with the required feedback (as per the online feedback system) on the vaccines that they have administered, within 14 days after administering the vaccine. Vaccination reports This feedback report will include various details of the animals vaccinated, as well as the vaccine that was used and the location of the farm where the vaccine was administered. Aucamp added that this can be done either via the online system or in writing. Livestock owners and managers also have the option to use any of the approved online systems provided by private sector stakeholders such as Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI), and Buffalo Analytics. Third-party systems Aucamp noted that all the information received from any third-party system will be shared with the Department of Agriculture and uploaded on its system. Emphasising that it is the responsibility of livestock owners and managers to check if their chosen system has been approved for use by the Director of Animal Health. “All the information gathered through these report-back systems will enable government to monitor progress of the vaccination programme,” said Aucamp. Programme updates “It will also enable us to efficiently provide up-to-date information on the success of South Africa’s vaccination programme to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) when we are in a position to apply to WOAH for FMD-Free status with vaccination once again,” Aucamp noted. He also encouraged all agricultural organisations to liaise with approved vaccine importers, on behalf of their members, to determine the number of vaccines that are needed. Aucamp said that this will assist importers in determining the number of vaccines that are required to obtain and distribute to veterinarians all over the country. Vaccine importers “Vaccine importers are also encouraged to liaise with veterinarians on the number of vaccines that the veterinarians want to order for their clients in a specific area,” he added. The minister explained that the cost of the vaccines purchased in this voluntary vaccination rollout will be for the account of the farmers that do the voluntary vaccination of their cloven-hooved animals. He added that the government will continue to provide vaccines to all areas where new outbreaks of FMD have been reported, as well as to those farmers that cannot afford to pay for the vaccines themselves. “This step is only the beginning, and I can assure all stakeholders that the Department of Agriculture is committed to enabling the private sector to help tackle this FMD outbreak,” Aucamp concluded.