Question NW747 to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
29 April 2024 - NW747
Montwedi, Mr Mk to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What (a) are the reasons that livestock that are kept at some of her department’s experimental farms can go for more than two years without being vaccinated and (b) programme has been put in place to ensure that there is a consistent supply of (i) vaccines and (ii) feed for the animals?
Reply:
a) All livestock that is kept at departmental farms is managed through programs that stipulate when supplementary feeding and mineral supplements should be provided, when vaccinations should take place and further stipulates which vaccines are appropriate for viral diseases like RB51, Brucellosis, Anthrax and Black Quarter. The vaccination programs differ from farm to farm depending on disease prevalence within any area.
Bonsmara cattle are kept on the specified farm. The Armoedsvlakte Experimental farm in the North West province was vaccinated annually in accordance with the vaccination program that is developed and guided by the Provincial Veterinary Services. Proper management of these farms in terms of health protocols is demonstrated by the fact that there has not been any animal disease outbreak whose origin can be traced to any state farms for the past five years to date.
(b)(i) The farms at all government farms procure their provisions following the normal procurement processes and most of the time utilise the RT 12 and or similar National Treasury tender systems to ensure there is a consistent supply of vaccines.
(ii) The state farms in the North West province produce their own forages, lucerne, turf etc. This is a proper farm management principle that helps to meet provincial fodder flow for winter/drought intervention.
The locally developed Bonsmara cattle kept on this farm are adaptable and rely on a natural extensive (veld) farming system as is the case with other indigenous and locally developed farm animals in South Africa. However additional feeds (mineral licks) are procured and provided to animals to complement natural veld, and this is also to ensure that animals receive additional balanced nutrition throughout the year.