SOUTH Africa’s agriculture minister said this week an outbreak of foot and mouth disease had been contained and should eventually lead to a removal of bans on South African meat exports. ”It is a matter, that if we deal with it decisively, we can retain our credibility and those countries that have imposed bans will lift them,” Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza said. A thorough culling process is taking place in a 15km radius quarantine zone thrown up around affected farms, which are about 40km northwest Durban. So far 2076 cloven-hoofed animals, including 31 wild animals, have been slaughtered in the latest effort to stamp out the disease, which was the first such outbreak since 1956. Another 3600 animals were slaughtered in October. – Reuters