Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has announced a comprehensive 10-year, science-based plan to combat South Africa’s worsening foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, while confirming he will request Cabinet to declare the crisis a national disaster.
Speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday, Steenhuisen said the phased strategy aims to stabilise the outbreak, protect the livestock industry and ultimately restore South Africa’s internationally recognised FMD-free status.
“Our strategy will be phased over ten years, beginning with stabilisation and consolidation, before moving toward the eventual withdrawal of vaccination and final recognition of national freedom through vaccination,” he said.
If approved, the national disaster declaration would allow for greater coordination through the NatJOINTS system, bringing in the South African Police Service, provincial and municipal traffic authorities and the SANDF to strengthen enforcement of livestock movement controls.
Mass Vaccination Drive Underway
Steenhuisen confirmed that immediate mass vaccination campaigns will be rolled out in the hardest-hit provinces – KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the Free State and North West. The targets include 100% coverage in feedlots and dairy herds, 90% in commercial livestock and 80% in communal areas.
Nearly two million animals have already been vaccinated since the outbreak began, with the government spending more than R72 million on imported vaccines from Botswana.
To address supply constraints, Steenhuisen announced that South Africa is diversifying its vaccine sources, with procurement now underway from the Botswana Vaccine Institute, Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina and Dollvet in Turkey. Local production through the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and Onderstepoort Biological Products is also being ramped up.
“All vaccines will undergo antigenic matching at the Pirbright Institute to ensure they are effective against South Africa’s circulating strains,” the minister said.
Argentina is expected to deliver one million doses within the next two weeks, with a further five million doses anticipated by March.
Technology, Surveillance and Targets
The strategy includes the rollout of a Digital Livestock Identification and Traceability System (LITS) and real-time digital heatmaps through the Red Meat Industry Services Operational Centre to track outbreaks. Laboratory capacity is being strengthened to speed up diagnosis, while border hotspots and wildlife-adjacent zones will receive biannual vaccinations.
Steenhuisen has set a target of reducing outbreak incidence by more than 70% in high-risk provinces within 12 months, with the ultimate goal of achieving full FMD freedom by the mid-2030s. A Ministerial Advisory Task Team made up of veterinary scientists and industry experts will oversee implementation.
AgriSA Welcomes Plan, Urges Deeper Collaboration
AgriSA has welcomed the strengthened national response, saying the updated strategy reflects a more coordinated, risk-based and science-led approach.
“The updated strategy is essential to containing the disease and restoring confidence in the livestock industry,” said AgriSA president Willem de Chavonnes Vrugt.
AgriSA expressed strong support for industry-led interventions by commodity organisations and called for deeper collaboration between government, veterinarians, producer organisations and farmer networks.
“While the current crisis remains serious, AgriSA remains confident in South African agriculture’s long-term ability to regain its FMD-free status,” De Chavonnes Vrugt said.
“With sustained cooperation between government and industry, adequate resourcing of the national strategy, and strong participation by farmers on the ground, South Africa can progressively stabilise outbreaks, protect disease-free zones and work toward recovery of internationally recognised FMD-free status.”
Saai Slams Plan as Inadequate, Warns of Legal Action
However, family-farmer organisation Saai has strongly criticised the minister’s announcement, saying it failed to provide practical solutions for farmers facing a “survival crisis”.
“The scale of the crisis is clearly greater than what the Department of Agriculture understands or has the capacity to manage,” Saai said in a statement. “Trust in the department among farmers is currently extremely low.”
Saai welcomed the move to source vaccines from Brazil and Turkey but warned that supply remains dangerously inadequate. The organisation said it would consider legal action if the state does not urgently expand vaccine production by outsourcing to private laboratories.
While supporting the call for a national disaster declaration, Saai highlighted major gaps in the strategy, including the lack of a plan for stray cattle in informal settlements and the collapse of law enforcement and livestock impounding systems.
The organisation listed 12 core demands, including financial assistance for affected farmers, emergency regulations, a comprehensive resource and manpower plan, clearer communication systems, greater flexibility for private-sector vaccine production and recognition of farmers’ ability to vaccinate their own livestock.
Saai also rejected Steenhuisen’s claims that some agricultural organisations were spreading disinformation or exploiting the crisis.
“Organisations that ask critical questions do so because farmers understand that the state does not have the capacity to lead them out of this crisis without assistance,” said Saai CEO Francois Rossouw.
