South Africa has officially commenced its nationwide foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination programme following confirmed outbreaks in four provinces, with the government prioritising containment measures to mitigate the risk to the country’s livestock sector and associated export trade.
The initiative was formally launched by the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, during an oversight visit on 23 June to Karan Beef, one of the largest commercial beef producers in the country, located in Heidelberg, Gauteng Province. The site is among those affected, following the confirmation of an outbreak earlier this month.
Steenhuisen confirmed that 900,000 doses of the FMD vaccine arrived in the country in the preceding week and that initial vaccinations commenced over the weekend. A second consignment is currently on order to support extended immunisation efforts in affected areas.
According to Steenhuisen, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal are the most severely impacted, with northern KwaZulu-Natal identified as a significant outbreak zone. The other two provinces where cases have been confirmed have not yet been publicly specified, pending final epidemiological assessments.
“Losses resulting from the current outbreak are already running into the hundreds of millions of rand,” Steenhuisen stated, highlighting the economic toll on both commercial and subsistence livestock operations. South Africa’s livestock industry contributes significantly to agricultural GDP, and FMD outbreaks have historically posed substantial threats to meat export agreements, especially with disease-free status zones being critical for market access.
The Minister reiterated the importance of regulatory compliance, particularly in relation to the movement of cloven-hoofed animals from disease management areas, and the conduct of livestock auctions. Non-compliance with these biosecurity regulations will be subject to criminal prosecution, he emphasised.
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is coordinating the response in collaboration with provincial veterinary services, and is expected to issue updated guidelines for livestock owners and commercial feedlots.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease affecting cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals. Although it is not transmissible to humans, the disease causes severe economic disruption due to trade restrictions and productivity losses.
South Africa has previously grappled with intermittent FMD outbreaks, often linked to challenges in maintaining effective control measures at the wildlife-livestock interface and gaps in routine vaccination coverage in endemic zones. The current vaccination drive is therefore being seen not only as a containment effort, but also as part of a longer-term strategic framework for disease control.
The agricultural sector is urging coordinated action from all stakeholders, including farmers, veterinary authorities, and trading partners, to curb the spread and reduce the socio-economic fallout of the outbreak.
