South Africa steps up fight against foot-and-mouth disease with R72 million vaccine order

MINISTER of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, has announced that the government has placed an urgent order for R72 million worth of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines to fight the disease.

South Africa has been battling FMD for several months, prompting key trading partners, including Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, and China, to suspend imports of meat and related animal products from the country.

Steenhuisen revealed that intensified control measures are showing positive results, with restrictions expected to be lifted soon in disease management areas across two provinces.

“Since 26 July 2024, a DMA has been in place in the Kouga and Kou-Kamma municipalities in the Eastern Cape to control FMD outbreaks. Through a robust vaccination campaign, 144,424 vaccinations were successfully administered,” said Steenhuisen.

“With the last cases reported in September 2024 and extensive serological surveillance confirming no undetected pockets of the disease, movement restrictions in the Eastern Cape DMA will be lifted soon.”

In Limpopo, a DMA has been in place since September 2022. “Two rounds of vaccination saw 23,024 cattle vaccinated across 34 dip tanks,” Steenhuisen said.

“These positive developments highlight the effectiveness of our collaborative control measures and the dedication of all stakeholders involved,” Steenhuisen added.

However, Steenhuisen said restrictions in KwaZulu-Natal will remain in place due to the continued circulation of the virus.

While some outbreaks outside the designated area have been contained, the department has also introduced a risk-based system to assess biosecurity on individual farms.

Meanwhile, veterinary teams are investigating new cases reported in Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

"Funds for the procurement of the vaccine have been transferred to Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP). The procurement process has started, and the next batch of vaccines is estimated to be delivered by mid-June.

"This marks a crucial step forward in the department’s vaccination strategy. The department has provisionally costed the vaccine requirements for the 2025/2026 financial year at R1,2 billion, with each vaccine estimated at R100 per dose".

Commenting ahead of the release of the country's first-quarter GDP data later this week, Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz), said the livestock sector remains under pressure.

"The one area that remains a concern is the livestock industry, primarily due to the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. We have already seen various trading partners temporarily banning South Africa’s beef exports due to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak," Sihlobo said.

"Given the sizable share contribution of the livestock industry to South Africa’s agricultural gross value added, its challenges are something worth reflecting on when considering South African agricultural performance".