No more cattle imports from South Africa

The Mauritius Meat Authority has ceased import of live cattle by air from South Africa. This decision was taken on the back of the Foot and Mouth outbreak which affected the cattle stock in Mauritius and Rodrigues towards the last semester of 2016. During a review, the Ministry of Agro-Industry has decided to cancel the imports from now on. 

The Import Permit Committee of the Agro-Industry Ministry will meet next week for an overall review of the situation. According to sources, local cattle are still carriers of the Foot and Mouth disease and the relevant authorities are unwilling to import new consignments until the current stock is depleted.

According to a source cited by Le Défi Quotidien, even cattle which have been vaccinated are still carrying the virus. Hence, the country still runs the risk of another outbreak. The authorities have therefore decided to not import cattle until all animals in the country are killed. Before the end of year festivities, the national herd counted 6,065 heads of cattle, 29,120 sheep and goats, and 20,480 pigs. In all, there were 3,872 farmers.