Source: University of Pretoria/Bizcommunity, 1 Jun 2021, photo credit: Agric Wa Gov Au
South Africa has a long history of managing animal diseases efficiently and has maintained disease-free zones for several high impact animal diseases over an extended period. Recent outbreaks of animal diseases including Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and African Swine Fever (ASF) have highlighted the vulnerabilities of our livestock sectors to outbreaks of disease.
Currently, South Africa has fragmented systems in place, which tracks the movement of livestock, small stock and game animals that offer challenges with compliance and conformance to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) United Nations Standards, Guidelines and Recommendations.
South African livestock industry and Veterinary Services have embarked on processes to develop and implement a Livestock Identification and Traceability System, South Africa (LITS SA). The LITS SA aims to provide information regarding the origin and movement history of an animal, which is important to supporting animal disease surveillance, response to disease outbreaks, animal disease control, and addressing food safety issues.
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The South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) coordinates industry interventions and collaboratively manages risks in the value chain to enable the sustainability and profitability of pork producers in South Africa.
