SA welcomes China lifting wool import ban after animal disease scare

SA welcomed a decision by China on Tuesday lifting restrictions on imported wool products imposed following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, two South African ministers said.

Last week, SA suspended all movement of cattle nationwide for 21 days in a bid to halt the spread of foot and mouth, a highly infectious animal disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals including pigs and sheep but poses a very low risk to people.

“We welcome the decision by the General Administration of Customs of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to lift the ban on the wool and other cloven-hoofed animals' skin products imported from SA as announced today,” SA's ministers of trade and agriculture said in a joint statement.

SA produces over 42 million kilograms (92.6 million pounds) of wool from 8,000 commercial sheep farmers, the ministers said, adding that the industry would have suffered a loss of around R730 million ($43.00 million) had the ban not been lifted.