South Africa is grappling with a worsening outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), a highly contagious viral infection affecting cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, prompting the government to ramp up vaccination efforts and bolster vaccine stocks. The agriculture ministry announced late Thursday that over 900,000 doses of FMD vaccines have been ordered, with the first batch expected to arrive next week. This response comes as outbreaks have been reported in five of the country’s nine provinces, with KwaZulu-Natal being the hardest hit.
The outbreak has raised significant concerns for South Africa’s beef industry, a critical component of the nation’s agricultural economy. Karan Beef, the country’s largest feedlot and one of the world’s biggest, recently reported an outbreak at its facility in Heidelberg, approximately 50 kilometers southeast of Johannesburg. The facility, which slaughters around 2,000 cattle daily, is now under quarantine, threatening disruptions to beef supplies both domestically and internationally. The outbreaks have already led to bans on South African beef and related products in key export markets, including China, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
Foot-and-mouth disease, while not transmissible to humans, causes severe symptoms in affected animals, including fever, blisters, and lameness, which can devastate livestock populations and lead to significant economic losses. The agriculture ministry emphasized that its response is not only about containing the current outbreaks but also about building long-term infrastructure to manage future risks. “These plans are not only about responding to outbreaks, but also about building permanent infrastructure to manage future risks,” the ministry stated.
The crisis has sparked growing calls from some cattle producers to declare a “state of disaster,” which would grant the government additional powers to intervene and mitigate financial losses for the industry. Such a declaration could unlock emergency funding and resources to support affected farmers and stabilize the sector.
South Africa’s livestock industry is already under strain, still recovering from the devastating avian flu outbreak in 2023, which wiped out a third of the national chicken flock. In a parallel effort to safeguard its poultry sector, the government announced on Thursday the country’s first-ever mass vaccination campaign for poultry to prevent a repeat of the high-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak, a highly contagious bird flu that causes significant mortality in infected flocks.
The dual challenges of FMD and avian flu highlight the vulnerabilities in South Africa’s livestock sector, which plays a vital role in food security and economic stability. The government’s swift action to secure vaccines and expand inoculation programs signals a proactive approach to managing these crises. However, the road ahead remains uncertain, with potential disruptions to beef supplies and export markets posing ongoing challenges for the industry.
As South Africa races to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, the success of its vaccination campaign and quarantine measures will be critical in protecting the livelihoods of farmers and ensuring the stability of the nation’s beef supply chain. The agriculture ministry’s efforts to build resilient infrastructure may prove essential in safeguarding the sector against future outbreaks, but for now, the focus remains on containing the immediate threat.
