South Africa on received one million doses of high-potency foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines as part of efforts to curb recurring outbreaks, the Department of Agriculture said.
The vaccines, sourced from Argentine pharmaceutical company Biogenesis Bago, mark the first batch of a phased national rollout, with an additional five million doses expected to arrive in March, according to the department.
“This small vial will be the beginning of us getting the red meat into markets around the world,” Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen said while officially receiving the shipment of vaccine doses.
He noted that the vaccination drive would enable authorities to shift from reactive outbreak responses to proactive disease management and expressed confidence that the vaccination program would help contain the current outbreak.
South Africa has faced repeated FMD outbreaks in recent years, resulting in export restrictions and mounting pressure on livestock farmers.
South Africa’s livestock sector is grappling with the worst outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the country’s history, the president of the main agricultural association, AgriSA, Johan Kotze, said on Wednesday.
“We are facing a national crisis,” Kotze said on Radio 702, adding that “the situation is worse than ever in our country’s history.” This highly contagious viral disease has spread widely and prompted authorities to declare a national disaster.
The outbreak has affected almost all nine provinces, with thousands of outbreaks reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health, and farmers have faced severe economic and operational strains as a result. China and several neighbouring countries have imposed bans on South African livestock imports to curb the disease’s regional spread.
Authorities have launched a large-scale vaccination campaign targeting the nation’s herd of more than 14 million cattle, aiming to achieve “FMD-Free Status with Vaccination.” The first consignment of one million high-potency vaccine doses from Argentina has arrived, with millions more expected in the coming weeks, and additional doses supplied by partners in Botswana and Turkey.
Controlled culling of infected animals and strict movement controls remain part of containment efforts, while regional governments and veterinary services work to prevent further spread. South Africa’s beef exports have already been severely impacted, with major markets such as China suspending imports amid the crisis.
Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral infection affecting cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and goats. It does not pose a direct risk to human health but can cause fever and painful blisters in animals, leading to significant production losses and trade disruptions.
According to a recent report by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy, 24,400 FMD cases were reported in domestic livestock in 2025, significantly exceeding the previous 20-year-high of 7,700 cases recorded in 2022. The outbreaks have weighed heavily on the country’s beef exports, which totaled 24,773 tons in the first 11 months of 2025, down from 38,677 tons during the same period in 2024.
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in the Africa region. It is one of the most contagious livestock diseases which bring about economic losses to many countries that depend on livestock for generation of revenue.
Taking Botswana as an example, livestock production, particularly beef products, contribute up to 65% of revenue in the agricultural sector (Seleka and Kebakile, 2015). Botswana exports approximately 80% of its beef to the European and South African markets (van Engelen et al., 2013). The revenue gained from these transactions account for up to one third of the GDP of the country.
South Africa International Visitors 2025: Entry Rules, Travel Tips, and What to Expect
