IN THE MEDIA

In February of this year, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, proposed an amendment to the Meat Safety Act to include a number of wild animals, including lions, rhinos and elephants.

The Meat Safety Act tries to ensure that meat is safe for consumption via establishing the national standards for abattoirs and regulating the meat trade industry. By including wild animals in the Meat Safety Act, then, the South African government is sanctioning the commercialisation of bushmeat.

The groundwork for the possible large-scale farming of wild animals was laid last year, when the then Minister of Agriculture, Senzani Zokwana, amended the Animal Improvement Act, which saw 33 wild species reclassified as livestock.

In light of the current pandemic, these pieces of legislation should concern us all. The link between wildlife and zoonotic diseases is well documented, but a short recap is merited. [read more]