Rift Valley Fever puts brakes on wool exports to China

Yesterday, Fibre2fashion had reported that China could turn out be the biggest purchaser of South African wool in the new season, the auctions for which began on August 18.

But in a dramatic turn of events, the South African government has refused to give a guarantee that the wool had been sourced from areas free of Rift Valley Fever.

Chinese laws and the only country in the world to adopt this law, requires that, the wool be certified as wool sourced from Rift Valley Fever-free areas.

In the last season, China was the biggest buyer of South African wool, amounting to R933 million and in volume terms, Chinese wool imports were up by 60 percent year on year.

The SA Department of Agriculture wrote to Cape Wools, mentioning that, it was ethically impossible to continue certifying that the wool came from Rift Valley Fever-free areas.

Due to which, it had to take the decision to halt wool exports to China. Meanwhile a delegation from the Agriculture Department is in China to discuss possible alternatives.

Rift Valley Fever is a disease, which may be transferred from animals to humans. It has the potential to cause high mortality rates in newborn sheep and goats.

Mosquito bites or exposure to body fluids of animals and carcasses during slaughtering and butchering may lead to infections in human beings.

However, the department added by saying that, exports of wool to other countries like India, Germany, Italy, Taiwan and UK would continue.