Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has outlined a broad foot and mouth disease (FMD) response strategy following visits to Brazil and Argentina, including expanded vaccine supply agreements, regulatory updates under Section 10 of the Animal Diseases Act, and the lifting of disease restrictions in KwaZulu-Natal.
Source: Roman Biernacki via
PexlesSouth Africa has received 6 million FMD vaccine doses to date, with additional supply secured through international partners.
This includes:
• 2.5 million doses from Biogénesis Bagó (Argentina)
• 3.5 million doses from Dollvet (Turkey)
A further 4 million doses from Turkey are in transit and expected by mid-May 2026. A separate order of 5 million doses from Biogénesis Bagó is undergoing import finalisation.
Steenhuisen said outbreaks in multiple regions globally — including Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific — are driving increased vaccine demand.
He also highlighted circulation of the SAT1 topotype 3 strain, reported in Turkey (November 2025), Azerbaijan (October 2025), Lebanon (November 2025), Israel (January 2026), Cyprus (December 2025 and February 2026), and Syria (January 2026).
Brazil and Argentina partnerships
South Africa has signed a Memorandum of Intent and Action Plan with Brazil to accelerate FMD eradication efforts.
Brazil achieved recognition as FMD-free without vaccination by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in May 2025.
The agreement includes technical cooperation on traceability, surveillance and biosecurity systems. A South African delegation will travel to Brazil for knowledge exchange on FMD control methods.
South Africa also renewed its partnership between the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and Argentina’s National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA) to strengthen vaccine innovation.
Government plans to raise a regional approach to FMD control at the upcoming SADC Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, including the potential establishment of a regional vaccine bank.
This forms part of a broader shift toward coordinated regional disease management.
Routine Vaccination Scheme gazetted
The Routine Vaccination Scheme has been published in the Government Gazette under Section 10 of the Animal Diseases Act (1984).
The scheme allows voluntary vaccination of cloven-hoofed animals under a public–private model, with oversight by state veterinary services.
Key requirements include:
• Permanent identification and ear tagging for traceability
• Appointment of an authorised veterinarian or animal health technician
• Digital recording of vaccination data, batch numbers and storage conditions
• Compliance with audits and inspections
Livestock owners will initially fund vaccines and veterinary services, with potential future subsidies or cost-sharing being considered.
KZN Disease Management Area lifted
The Foot and Mouth Disease Disease Management Area (DMA) in KwaZulu-Natal has been formally lifted.
The Department of Agriculture said outbreaks have now spread across all districts in the province, while incidence within the DMA has declined relative to surrounding areas.
The department said a unified national movement control protocol for cloven-hoofed animals is being developed.
Vaccination rollout update
As of 23 April 2026, more than 2.5 million animals (2,590,016) have been vaccinated nationwide.
Of the 6 million vaccine doses received, 5,229,966 doses have been distributed.
Provincial vaccination figures are:
• KwaZulu-Natal: 766,508
• Free State: 446,527
• Eastern Cape: 376,122
• Mpumalanga: 233,510
• North West: 188,073
• Gauteng: 184,036
• Limpopo: 183,770
• Western Cape: 164,474
• Northern Cape: 46,996
A total of 358 additional Animal Health Technicians are being recruited to support rollout operations. The Red Meat Industry Services (RIMS) will also employ 20 Animal Health Technicians on a one-year contract.
Two private laboratories in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape are in the process of accreditation to improve diagnostic capacity.
Vaccines and expenditure
Government has invested R238.2m in vaccine procurement to date, with projected expenditure exceeding R644.5m across international supply agreements.
An additional R72m was spent on BVI vaccines from Botswana for 900,000 doses. Of these, the MPO purchased 50,000 doses, RMIS 600,000 doses, and provincial governments, including Limpopo, Free State and Mpumalanga procured additional stock.
Local vaccine production
The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) released 12 900 doses of its pentavalent vaccine in February 2026 — the first locally produced deployment since the 2005/2006 decommissioning of the facility.
ARC is producing SAT2 monovalent vaccines at a rate of 20,000 doses per week, with 80,000 doses produced by the end of April 2026 for emergency use.
Production is being shifted to a trivalent vaccine (SAT1, SAT2, SAT3) due to multiple circulating strains.
A new 1,000-litre fermenter has been procured to scale production from 20,000 to 200,000 doses per cycle.
Long-term strategy
Steenhuisen said South Africa is shifting from reactive outbreak control to a coordinated, science-led biosecurity model combining international partnerships, vaccine imports and local production.
He said the goal is to restore FMD-free status with vaccination while strengthening livestock sector resilience and food security.
