China announced the ban in April this year. The national Department of Agriculture shares that wool producers would have suffered an irrecoverable loss of R730 million if the restrictions continued. According to Deon Saayman, CEO of Cape Wools SA, the organisation, on behalf of the wool industry, extends its sincere appreciation to the government for its support and assistance. The agriculture department adds that China's ban on wool would have irrevocably dented the South African wool industry since this year’s harvesting is in full swing. A continued ban would have meant the industry would have incurred losses for two seasons.

Meanwhile, the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, or Agbiz, says in a statement that the decision by China to lift the ban on the importation of wool from South Africa, is a welcome development within the context of an increasingly volatile environment for international trade. It explains that when South Africa relinquished its foot-and-mouth-disease (FMD) free status in 2019, a protocol was agreed upon with the People’s Republic of China to mitigate any chance of contamination by registered warehouses following the time/heat inactivation protocol. The announcement that trade will once again take place under this protocol provides a much-needed boost to the industry.

The foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination of more than 55 000 cattle was concluded at five locations in the Free State. According to the provincial government, the vaccination campaign is ongoing. It says blood samples have been collected in 92 locations in the Free State to determine the extent of spread, and that 73 of these locations tested negative. Furthermore, the Free State has received additional veterinary personnel from the Northern Cape to be deployed in mostly FMD affected areas.

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Weather conditions are favourable for veld fires in large parts of the Northern Cape and the Free State. The South African Weather Service issued a warning especially for the towns of Postmasburg, De Aar, Groblershoop and Kathu, along with other towns in the Northern Cape. The weather service says conditions are such that the Fire Danger Index is above 75. Under these conditions, fires may develop and spread rapidly resulting in damage to property and the possible loss of human and/or animal life.

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