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Durban - The National Intelligence Agency, the army and police are carrying out surveillance in uMkhanyakude, the area where animals are thought to be infected with foot-and-mouth disease, a KwaZulu-Natal MEC said on Thursday.
Agriculture, environmental affairs and rural development MEC Lydia Johnson told the legislature that the surveillance was aimed at controlling the movement of animals.
Johnson said the strain of the disease had not yet been identified, even by experts in the United Kingdom, but that it was being treated as foot-and-mouth disease.
Among other things, dip tanks in the area had been sampled, 14 roadblocks put up in northern KZN and 50 technical staff brought in from other provinces.
A team of experts from provincial agriculture departments, the national department of agriculture, and Kruger National Park would conduct further investigations to verify the results.
She said the vaccination of infected animals had begun and would continue until all infected animals had been vaccinated.
Johnson appealed to livestock owners in uMkhanyakude to minimise the movement of cloven-hoofed animals.
While opposition parties welcomed her report, they called for more frequent reporting by the government and said this would help calm fears among the communities in KwaZulu-Natal.
Agriculture, environmental affairs and rural development MEC Lydia Johnson told the legislature that the surveillance was aimed at controlling the movement of animals.
Johnson said the strain of the disease had not yet been identified, even by experts in the United Kingdom, but that it was being treated as foot-and-mouth disease.
Among other things, dip tanks in the area had been sampled, 14 roadblocks put up in northern KZN and 50 technical staff brought in from other provinces.
A team of experts from provincial agriculture departments, the national department of agriculture, and Kruger National Park would conduct further investigations to verify the results.
She said the vaccination of infected animals had begun and would continue until all infected animals had been vaccinated.
Johnson appealed to livestock owners in uMkhanyakude to minimise the movement of cloven-hoofed animals.
While opposition parties welcomed her report, they called for more frequent reporting by the government and said this would help calm fears among the communities in KwaZulu-Natal.
