Share

Feedlot free of disease: Karan Beef

Johannesburg - There is no trace of foot-and-mouth disease at a feedlot belonging to Karan Beef in Heidelberg, the company said on Monday.

"As part of our proactive and preventative approach we tested a significant number of cattle (in Gauteng) and no trace of the virus was found," said Karan Beef veterinarian Dirk Verwoerd.

"We bled the animals in question at the request (of) the state and found antibodies.... This could be from exposure weeks and even months ago," Verwoerd said.

The beef supplier put its feedlot in Heidelberg under quarantine as a precaution on March 18, following a recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the Ingwavuma area in KwaZulu-Natal.

International trade in cloven-hoofed animals and their products from South Africa was suspended as a precaution, in accordance with international protocol.

Verwoerd said that from March 19, 94 animals sourced from the Blood River-Vryheid area, about 150km from the outbreak zone, were tested.

"We slaughtered them as a precaution and then moved to animals they had been in contact with, which was about 1 800 animals," he said.

The cows were all six to nine months old, an age with the highest mortality rate from the virus.

Verwoerd said the disease poses no risk to human consumption.

"There is no need to panic at all. That applies to consumers and the industry as a whole. Security of supply will also not be affected," he said.

Karan Beef owns about 30% of the market share in South Africa.

"With this virus we had to act immediately and do something, even if the virus was not present," Verwoerd said.

The company will conduct a final set of tests in mid-April to rule out all possibility of the virus.

Foot-and-mouth  disease is caused by the picorna virus and is potentially fatal and highly infectious. It is a severe plague for animal farming and is passed on in cloven-hoofed animals like cattle, sheep, goats and deer.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.93
-0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.90
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.44
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.1%
Platinum
904.58
+0.9%
Palladium
1,012.82
+1.1%
Gold
2,218.03
+1.1%
Silver
24.80
+0.7%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.9%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.9%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders