Cape Town - Agriculture Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson says there has been an outbreak of serological foot-and-mouth disease in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Joemat-Pettersson said on Monday that because of this, SA's official status as a foot-and-mouth-free country has been temporarily suspended.
Also, all exports of cloven-hoofed animals - such as cattle and sheep - have been halted with immediate effect, she said.
Joemat-Pettersson said the Ingwavuma areas north of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park (Isimangaliso), the Mkuze Nature Reserve and the area east of the Pongola Nature Reserve have been declared a foot-and-mouth-controlled area.
She said 600 hundred cattle had been tested in the affected area and half of these had proven positive, but none had been slaughtered.
"We have not tested animals in other areas for now as we have not detected ay such an outbreak anywhere else. We have been containing the situation since the middle of February," Joemat-Pettersson said.
Joemat-Pettersson said on Monday that because of this, SA's official status as a foot-and-mouth-free country has been temporarily suspended.
Also, all exports of cloven-hoofed animals - such as cattle and sheep - have been halted with immediate effect, she said.
Joemat-Pettersson said the Ingwavuma areas north of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park (Isimangaliso), the Mkuze Nature Reserve and the area east of the Pongola Nature Reserve have been declared a foot-and-mouth-controlled area.
She said 600 hundred cattle had been tested in the affected area and half of these had proven positive, but none had been slaughtered.
"We have not tested animals in other areas for now as we have not detected ay such an outbreak anywhere else. We have been containing the situation since the middle of February," Joemat-Pettersson said.