Red Meat Industry Services activates Operational Centre in response to Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak

Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) said on Friday that it will activate a centralised Operational Centre (OC) at its headquarters on Monday in response to the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak.

RMIS said the OC will be led by a designated RMIS veterinarian and will oversee a team of veterinary professionals and industry representatives, along with a specialist public relations and public affairs agency, forming the FMD Working Group. “The FMD Working Group will be mandated to develop and implement a structured, time-bound response to the outbreak, with medium- to long-term goals, including a focus on vaccination among other key areas.”

The primary objective of this plan is to guide RMIS in addressing the current FMD situation in South Africa, with a strong focus on protecting red meat role players to ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of the industry.

“This is critical not only for the red meat sector, but also for South Africa’s broader agricultural economy, as the outbreak impacts the entire red meat value chain and poses a serious threat to the dairy industry and other sectors connected to red meat production,” it said.

Another key aim is to establish public-private partnerships (PPPs) at various levels to support the understaffed public veterinary sector by leveraging private sector expertise and capacity.

RMIS added that the immediate responsibilities of the OC are finalising a three-month response framework to address urgent risks and establish a platform for long-term management:

• The medium-term plan will include two key components:
• Expanding and supporting the capacity of veterinary services to enhance disease control.
• Establishing FMD-free livestock compartments supplying all South African red meat abattoirs.

RMIS said that the OC's other responsibilities would include:

• Coordinating with the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) to align with government and industry stakeholders.
• Evaluating and enhancing the Government Contingency Plan. The Department has shared its contingency plan with the industry, which the FMD Working Group will review and provide feedback.
• Initiating a local vaccine production strategy, which includes assessing funding requirements, establishing an implementation timeline, and developing a financing model supported by industry funding.
• Centralising stakeholder communication through the appointed veterinarian, who will report directly to RMIS CEO Dewald Olivier.
• Implementing an electronic movement permit system: A basic, structured electronic Farmer Declaration system will be developed, communicated, and enforced.

Dewald Olivier, the CEO of RMIS, said this is a defining moment for the red meat industry.

“RMIS was established precisely for a time like this - to provide coordinated leadership, technical expertise, and practical solutions in close collaboration with government and industry partners. Our unified efforts today will shape a more secure, sustainable, and competitive future for the industry,” Olivier said.

Last week, Business Report reported that the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) livestock farming community called on the government to declare KZN a disaster area due to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

In a joint statement, they called on the government to formally declare FMD a disaster as KZN grapples to contain the spread. “In 2021, affected areas in the province were declared a Disease Management Area (DMA); the latest resurgence in 2023 has spread beyond this area and necessitated the expansion of the DMA; however, the spread continues outside of these areas.”

In response, Dipepeneneng Serage, Deputy Director-General: Agricultural Production, Biosecurity and Natural Resources Management at the Department of Agriculture, said while they understand the seriousness of the FMD situation in KZN and in Gauteng, they don't think declaring a state of emergency is the solution.

“We have declared/gazetted the DMA which is in itself a state of emergency for livestock and farmers. We need farmers to work with the government to adhere to biosecurity regulations. Additionally, to the DMA, we will be issuing directives regarding the movement of animals in SA.

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