KEY POINTS
- South Africa launched its first domestically produced foot-and-mouth disease vaccine in 20 years to fight a widespread livestock outbreak.
- The vaccine aims to inoculate 80% of the national cattle herd, with production set to expand over the next two years.
- Farmers have criticised the government’s response as slow, with some threatening legal action over outbreak management.
South Africa announced the release of its first locally developed foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine in two decades.
The move comes as the highly contagious virus continues to spread among livestock across the country.
FMD primarily affects cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals, causing painful blisters and reducing productivity, though it rarely kills adult animals.
The outbreak has alarmed farmers and government officials alike due to its rapid spread and economic impact.
The new vaccine was developed by South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council (ARC) under a government-led strategy to build local vaccine production capacity.
Officials said this would reduce reliance on imports from countries such as Botswana, Argentina and Turkey.
The Agriculture Ministry said it plans to vaccinate 80% of the national cattle herd, about 12 million animals.
Approximately 7.2 million of those cattle are on commercial farms.
ARC will start by supplying about 20,000 doses per week from March 2026.
Production is expected to ramp up to roughly 200,000 doses weekly by 2027.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said scaling up local production would help establish vaccine sovereignty against FMD.
He noted that producing vaccines domestically strengthens the country’s frontline defence against livestock disease.
Foot-and-mouth disease can severely disrupt animal movement, trade and productivity.
Markets often ban exports from regions with active outbreaks, hurting farmers’ incomes.
Despite the vaccine launch, some farmer groups have criticised the government for what they call a slow response to the worsening outbreak.
The Southern African Agri Initiative and Free State Agriculture have threatened legal action, saying the response was fragmented and ineffective.
Livestock producers said losses have mounted, and they urged more decisive action to control disease spread.
They highlighted restrictions on animal movement and export bans as ongoing challenges.
South Africa has largely relied on imported FMD vaccines in recent years due to limited local production capacity.
Imports from suppliers in Southern Hemisphere countries previously filled that gap.
The domestic vaccine effort represents a shift toward science-led containment strategies and long-term disease management.
Officials hope that building internal capacity will improve readiness for future outbreaks.
The government’s plan includes expanding vaccination coverage beyond commercial farms to communal and smallholder herds.
Extensive inoculation is seen as crucial to interrupting the virus’s transmission cycle.
Success in controlling the current outbreak could help South Africa regain its FMD-free status from the World Organisation for Animal Health.
Such recognition would ease future trade barriers and support livestock exports.
However, the scale of vaccination required and logistical challenges remain significant.
Experts say continued vigilance and community cooperation are vital to halting the spread.
