John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, during the annual Nampo Harvest Day in Bothaville. (Photo: Janice du Plessis/Maroela Media)
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen confirmed on Tuesday during the annual Nampo Harvest Day in Bothaville that South Africa’s capacity to control foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has received a significant boost. This comes after a further 2 million doses of the Dollvet vaccine arrived in the country from Turkey earlier in the morning.
According to Steenhuisen, the Department of Agriculture has successfully coordinated the import of 8 million vaccine doses since late February. According to the minister, this accelerated procurement process is a core aspect of the government’s strategy to strengthen biosecurity and food security, while protecting rural livelihoods from the impact of livestock diseases.
According to the minister, the scale of the project is unprecedented for the local industry. The goal is to vaccinate 80% of the national herd, which includes approximately 14 million cattle, by the end of December.
“With an additional 5 million doses expected to arrive soon, South Africa’s total stock of imported vaccine will rise to 13 million doses. When combined with the 2 million vaccine doses obtained from the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) last year, the country will have received a total of 15 million doses by the end of May 2026.
According to the minister, this accelerated procurement process is a core aspect of the government’s strategy to strengthen biosecurity and food security. (Photo: Dunevax)
“This volume highlights our determination to protect the national interest, defend our livestock industry and win the fight against foot-and-mouth disease.”
He further emphasized that the initiative is essential for South Africa’s long-term plan to regain and maintain the status of “BCS-free with vaccination”.
“In this way, the country can meet international animal health standards and secure important export markets.”
A core aspect of the new approach is that South Africa no longer acts in isolation against the disease. Steenhuisen referred to a recent visit to Hazyview, Mpumalanga where he together with Mandla Tshawuka, his counterpart from Eswatini, and representatives from Mozambique, vaccinated 300 cattle.
According to Steenhuisen, South American models have already proven that regional cooperation is the only sustainable solution.
“One of the clearest lessons from South America is that this disease cannot be combated in isolation. Cows do not carry passports, and when one country acts alone, the risk remains for all. That is why we are now working with our neighboring countries to establish a coordinated regional strategy.
“We need to move away from simply responding to outbreaks. The aim is to establish a SADC antigen bank so that countries in Southern Africa can quickly access vaccines when they are most needed, without being dependent on lengthy international procurement processes.”
The momentum for this regional plan will be continued later this month when Steenhuisen chairs a meeting of SADC agriculture ministers in Zimbabwe. The focus of this summit will be on the establishment of a regional platform for animal movement control, the traceability of livestock and coordinated response mechanisms.
Steenhuisen also sent a message of reassurance to farmers who have been affected by the recent outbreaks.
“We have seen the pain, the uncertainty and the economic damage this disease has caused to farming communities right across our country. I have made a commitment that if we continue to implement this plan on a large scale and with urgency, this must be the last major foot-and-mouth disease outbreak to devastate our people. We are fighting this disease with all available resources and we stand with our farmers.”