Cape Town – A five-year construction delay and a R400m funding shortfall for a new foot and mouth disease (FMD) facility has dealt a blow to South Africa’s efforts against the potentially devastating livestock disease.
Agricultural Research Council CEO Dr Shadrack Moephuli told Fin24 that the construction of the new facility was due to be completed in 2015/2016 and that financial constraints have had a negative impact on the implementation of objectives.
“The latest estimated date of completion is 2019/2020, should the ARC be successful in sourcing the additional funding required to complete the project,” he said.
