Wandile Sihlobo, Daily Maverick
Since April 2019 there have been 14 reported outbreaks of African swine fever in South Africa.
All are in areas of the North West, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Free State. These outbreaks were mainly among smallholder farmers.
A few cases in wild boars have also been reported. Local authorities responded by quarantining and controlling the movement of pigs in affected areas.
But the industry remains concerned that farmers may give in to the temptation to rush the rest of the herd to the market when they realise that some of their pigs are dying because of African swine fever.
This would present a risk of further spread of the disease (which spreads by contact). This leads us to the point of incentives for areas that have been affected by the disease.
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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.
