Government presses ahead with decade-long plan to vaccinate national herd against FMD

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has confirmed that government is moving ahead with a long-term plan to vaccinate South Africa’s entire national cattle herd as part of a comprehensive strategy to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and restore the country’s FMD-free status.

Steenhuisen delivered an update on the state of FMD during a briefing on Wednesday, acknowledging the severe impact recent outbreaks have had on farmers across the country.

Already almost 2 million animals have been vaccinated since the importation of vaccines from Botswana began in 2025, and more than R72 million has been spent by government on these imported from Botswana.

The minister emphasised that regaining FMD-free status was a monumental task that would not be achieved overnight. He said the strategy was a comprehensive control and eradication programme designed to interrupt virus transmission and protect the national herd.

“Our strategy will be phased over 10 years, beginning with stabilisation and consolidation, before moving toward the eventual withdrawal of vaccination and final recognition of national freedom through vaccination by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH),” he said.

“We are prioritising high-risk zones, with the goal of reaching at least 80% coverage in targeted cattle populations, especially in the communal areas and up to 100% in feedlots and dairy cows. The objective is to reduce outbreak incidence within 12 months by more than 70% in high-risk provinces through systematic vaccination, while preserving FMD-free provinces through buffer vaccination and strict movement controls.”

Steenhuisen said high-quality, high-potency vaccines would be used during the campaign, including trivalent vaccines targeting SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3 strains currently circulating in South Africa. Partnerships with international suppliers are being finalised to secure sufficient doses.

He said global vaccine producer Biogénesis Bagó of Argentina has indicated that it can supply one million doses within two weeks of permits being issued.

The department is preparing an application to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) to authorise the use of an unregistered medicine under Section 21 of the Medicines Act, with the application expected to be submitted by Monday.

In addition, the department will continue sourcing vaccines from the Botswana Vaccine Institute, which has been a key supplier during previous outbreaks.

Laboratory capacity is also being strengthened, with the Agriculture Research Council’s Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR) facility leading a network of state laboratories to ensure faster testing and turnaround times.

Steenhuisen noted that the current wave of outbreaks began in 2021, following animal movements from Phalaborwa to KwaZulu-Natal.

To date, Northern Cape remains the only province that has never reported an FMD outbreak. Since the most recent outbreaks, almost two million animals have been vaccinated nationwide.

KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the Free State and North West have been identified as the hardest-hit provinces. Interventions include immediate mass vaccination across affected districts, repeated within three months, targeting 100% of feedlots and dairy cattle, 90% of commercial herds and 80% of communal cattle.

In recurring hotspot areas such as parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo — particularly where buffalo farming occurs — biannual vaccination campaigns will continue in protection zones.

Biannual campaigns will also be conducted in Nkomazi and Bushbuckridge, with vaccination targets of 85% for communal herds and 90% for commercial herds.

“The success of this strategy relies on the cooperation of every citizen. We need our farmers to work hand-in-hand with State Veterinarians, to report clinical signs immediately, and to strictly adhere to movement controls,” Steenhuisen said.

Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, said vaccinating the national herd was one of the most urgent priorities facing the cattle industry.

Sihlobo said farmers had suffered major financial losses during the festive season as auctions were cancelled in efforts to curb the spread of the disease.

He added that while they have had various public engagements across the country on avenues to address FMD disease, and task teams were established, additional urgency is needed right now.

“The starting point is ensuring vaccines are available to farmers, and this remains a challenge. Admittedly, we are dealing with a biological matter, which requires rigorous scientific care and guidance before major imports, especially at a scale of vaccinating over 12.1 million cattle,” Sihlobo said.

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