South Africa’s response to the ongoing Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak is facing renewed scrutiny, with industry groups urging government to accelerate vaccine distribution while strengthening long-term biosecurity measures.

Farmer-led advocacy group FMD Response SA has called on Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and the Department of Agriculture to allow private veterinarians direct access to FMD vaccines.

The organisation argues that despite millions of vaccine doses being imported, many livestock farmers remain unable to obtain vaccines quickly enough to protect their herds.

South Africa is expected to receive 14 million vaccine doses over the coming months, but to date, only an estimated 4.4 million cattle have been vaccinated.

The group says private veterinarians should be allowed to administer vaccines directly to farmers to speed up the campaign and help achieve the herd immunity needed to contain the disease.

FMD Response SA spokesperson Andrew Morphew said the current distribution system is too restrictive and risks prolonging the outbreak, with potentially severe consequences for livestock producers, rural jobs, and food prices.

Meanwhile, AgriSA has acknowledged progress in cooperation between government and industry but says operational challenges remain in several provinces.

The organisation noted that 8 million vaccine doses had already been imported by May, with a further 3.5 million expected, bringing total supplies to about 11.5 million doses.

AgriSA warned that the economic impact of the outbreak is already substantial. Export losses have exceeded R5.6 billion, while studies suggest cumulative losses could reach R25.6 billion over the next decade if outbreaks are not effectively controlled.

Exports of fresh and chilled beef have fallen by more than 56%, while frozen beef exports have declined by over 26%.

The organisation supports continued vaccine procurement, stronger movement controls, improved provincial coordination and greater investment in biosecurity systems.

It also welcomed recent engagements by South African agricultural leaders in Argentina and Brazil to study successful vaccination and traceability programmes.

Both organisations agree that controlling the outbreak will require close cooperation between government, veterinary authorities and the agricultural sector, although they differ on how vaccine distribution should be managed.

As South Africa works to contain the disease, the debate over the role of the private sector in the vaccination programme is likely to continue.