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Message: [QUOTE="Shamiso, post: 83466, member: 160"] South Africa's meat industry is collapsing while politicians argue over declaring a national disaster state. The Freedom Front demanded that the government officially hit the panic button as Foot-and-Mouth Disease ravages livestock. Wynand Boshoff insisted that years of neglecting the problem put farmers and food security at massive risk. The opposition believes that emergency funding is the only way to stop the bleeding. Trading partners like Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Botswana slammed the door on local meat imports alongside China. The nation has battled this outbreak for months without winning. Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen previously promised a massive vaccination drive to poke every cow, yet execution remains sluggish. The official plan relies on a consistent supply of high-quality doses that seemingly never arrived. Dewald Olivier from Red Meat Industry Services claimed the government response only worked partially. He pointed out that bad decisions and structural failures keep messing things up. Boshoff argued that ignoring task team advice since 2016 caused this specific mess. The critic stated that catching contagious diseases early prevents crises, but authorities apparently missed that memo. Declaring a disaster would supposedly unlock cash to make vaccines locally. The capacity to manufacture the right shots exists within South Africa, but it needs activation immediately. Boshoff maintains that drastic steps are necessary because the current strategy is failing hard. Farmers are basically waiting for a miracle while their herds get sick. [/QUOTE]

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