The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng has submitted a motion to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) regarding the devastating impact of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) on farmers and food security.
We have outlined many proactive steps that can be implemented to curb the outbreak of FMD. This will go a long way to boosting public confidence that the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is doing everything possible to assist farmers affected by this devastating disease. The motion on FMD is due to be debated during the first week of June.
The DA Gauteng’s motion once again calls on the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramakopga, to make public its plan to distribute vaccines to all livestock affected by FMD.
Furthermore, we are also calling on the MEC to implement a live dashboard for FMD, which can be updated daily and be accessible to the farmers and public, so that they can track the following:
• The number of livestock affected by FMD,
• The number of vaccinations,
• The number of roadblocks conducted,
• How many livestock affected by FMD have been prevented from leaving and entering the province?
If the GPG is truly serious about protecting food security in this province, they will vote to support the DA motion.