The outbreak of foot and mouth disease in South Africa earlier this year resulted in Basotho farmers’ wool and mohair destined to be exported to China being stuck in warehouses in Port Elizabeth South Africa.
South Africa experienced outbreak of foot and mouth disease that initially occurred in January 2019 and recurred on 1 November 2019, resulting in the neighbouring country effectively being under restriction from exporting cloven hoofed animals and their products to international markets.
This affected fibre from Lesotho which, even free from the disease, was painted with the same brush as South Africa’s wool and mohair because it had to pass through South Africa first, to get to international markets, especially China.
