According to Steyn, the Department 'dismissed with contempt' questions regarding OBP vaccines, claiming that the state-run organisation complies with international standards. This may be so, Steyn said, but OBP's efficacy in combating relevant diseases "is undermined by the fact that [the vaccines] are outdated and under-researched." The OBP vaccines, "do not appear to be working," and "the resulting animal deaths are a threat to the economic sustainability of agriculture."
"The Department of Agriculture," Steyn concludes, "is responsible for the bio security of animal health in South Africa." Denying the problems at OBP constitutes a significant threat to the agricultural sector, which currently supports 650 000 jobs and could create another million jobs by 2030, Allafrica.com reports.
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