Industry body Agri SA has welcomed government addressing numerous failings in the veterinary and animal biosecurity systems in a report published by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD).

The release of the report comes amid a vaccine shortage that is wreaking havoc in the livestock sector, including for horses and cattle.

After persistent industry lobbying, the department appointed a Task Team on Animal Biosecurity in August 2021 to investigate animal biosecurity in the country and the role of the State in this regard.

The report finds that the veterinary and biosecurity systems of the country are "broken" and have far-reaching issues, from institutional design and budgetary constraints to production constraints at the Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) vaccine manufacturing facility.

Agri SA says these findings validate the concerns of the agricultural sector and show the magnitude of the threat biosecurity failures pose to the country’s food security and trade reputation.

“Of critical importance now is that government, together with the sector, work to tackle problems identified with great urgency. This matter must be a priority of the DALRRD.

“Similarly, the management of OBP who are responsible for the timely manufacturing of vaccines, and other government officials responsible for biosecurity management, must be held accountable for failures to act timeously on the recommendations in the report,” Agri SA emphasises.

The biosecurity report also highlights decision-making processes in government are characterised by a distrust of the private sector. This has led to a repeated refusal to facilitate greater private sector involvement in this space, a concern the sector has raised repeatedly.

Agri SA notes now that the issue has been identified as an impediment to effective biosecurity, the resolution of this intractable problem must be prioritised. This is the only way to ensure that the country has sufficient and readily available vaccines, and that timely interventions are implemented to prevent and manage animal disease outbreaks.

Agri SA concludes the South African agricultural sector faces many urgent challenges, but biosecurity must be recognised as one of the most pressing. “With the report on the true state of biosecurity now made public, we have no time to waste in addressing the challenges it identifies. South Africa’s food security depends on it.”