Evaluation study on linkages of selected pieces of legislation and spheres of government on plant health system in South Africa

Abstract

Plant health system is an important element for the control and management of plant pests to ensure food production and security as well as safe trade. The objectives of this study were to: identify the existing knowledge gaps on current plant health system at the national and provincial level, identify critical areas to be addressed in the current plant health institutional framework and identify the existing limitations and risks on current legislation. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was analysed statistically using the one-way frequency and Spearman’s Rank correlation coefficients.The study found that the Provincial Departments of Agriculture (PDAs) (below 50%) lack knowledge of plant health system as compared to the national authorities: DAFF and DEA (above 70%). The study also found that there were no formal linkages between the national and provincial authorities. The study further revealed that there is a need for harmonisation of relevant legislation. It can be concluded that there are knowledge gaps on plant health matters between the national authority and the provincial level and that there are no formal linkages within the spheres of government on plant health matters.