Court halts sable imports

Johannesburg - The Red Meat Forum has successfully stalled the import of Zambian sable into South Africa until the risk of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been ruled out.

The North Gauteng High Court on Friday ruled against the legitimacy of a permit to allow the 153 antelope into the country.

The permit was granted on the strength of a protocol published in December by the department of agriculture, which allowed for the Animal Diseases Act to be circumvented and for cloven-hoofed animals from Zambia to be imported.

The Red Meat Forum alleged that a due risk analysis - which would detect any diseases present in the animals - was not carried out, posing a massive threat to the disease-prone meat industry in SA.

The court ruled that the permit can only be granted once a full risk analysis in terms of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has been performed.

The Red Meat Forum told the court an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa could spell disaster for an industry dependent on international trading partners. Lax application of the protocol could result in an export ban under the WOAH.

Foot-and-mouth disease can be transmitted by infected animals or insects like ticks, making containment difficult.

"We are exceedingly pleased that we are now in a position to discuss the way forward with the department [of agriculture]," said Red Meat Forum chairperson Dave Ford. "As opposed to the closed door policy which seems to have been the case in the past, we're hoping this will open transparency."

In a statement released on Friday, the department of agriculture said it is "committed to uphold international protocol and guidelines that pertain to the trade on cloven-hoofed animals as well as our national legislation".

- Fin24.com