NSPCA raises alarm over infectious disease outbreak as thousands of sheep are loaded onto livestock ship

The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has raised the alarm over an infectious disease outbreak at a feedlot housing 56,000 sheep destined for live export by ship from East London to the Middle East.

Cattle and goats, in addition to the sheep, are being loaded onto the livestock carrier Al Messilah but the NSPCA has raised concerns about their welfare on the three-week journey.

“The NSPCA has, through veterinary laboratory testing and visual examination, confirmed the presence of contagious ecthyma, an infectious dermatitis of sheep and goats which is also contagious to humans in the Al Mawashi feedlot contained in the herd bound for Kuwait and Saudi Arabia,” the organisation said on Friday.

“After NSPCA national inspectors observed lesions on the lips of numerous sheep in the feedlot which raised suspicions of contagious ecthyma [also known as 'orf', 'vuilbek' or by its old English name 'scabby mouth'], the NSPCA resorted to laboratory testing which has confirmed the animals bound for the Al Messilah are exposed to the virus.”

Animals go off feed, lose condition and can develop serious secondary infections at the lesion sites during the course of the disease. Shipments from Australia where the disease has been found have been rejected by the Middle East in the past, according to the NSPCA.

“Should this shipment be rejected by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia the South African government has confirmed to the NSPCA that South Africa will not be able to accept the returning animals. The NSPCA is therefore concerned about the risk that these animals will be left stranded at sea.

“The NSPCA has pulled animals from the feedlot that are displaying clinical signs, though the fate of those still to show signs are a serious cause for concern. This disease also poses a threat to human health as it is a zoonotic disease that can result in painful sores to humans coming into contact with the animals.

“We remain steadfast in our stance that no country has the capacity or capability to ensure or guarantee animal welfare on livestock vessels,” said the NSPCA.

The organisation would remain at the feedlot and remove compromised animals.

Sister publication the Daily Dispatch reported on Thursday the situation was tense and there had been a physical altercation between the manager of the feedlot and an NSPCA inspector on March 27.

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