Serious concerns about the ongoing threat of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) to South African livestock farmers – along with urgent questions about government’s response – resurfaced recently, including during agriculture minister John Steenhuisen’s recent visit to North West.
By Vida Booysen, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
At Rysmierbult, Steenhuisen oversaw a vaccination campaign and announced that nearly 1 million doses of FMD vaccine had been imported. The Department of Agriculture is distributing them, prioritising the hardest-hit provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and North West.
According to Steenhuisen, South Africa had 274 active FMD cases as of 4 September, including 26 unresolved outbreaks in North West alone.
Also read: Stray cattle: Only one case reported to RMIS
Farmers Voice Frustrations and Demand Transparency
At a meeting in Potchefstroom, farmers raised numerous questions, criticisms and suggestions about controlling FMD, according to Netwerk24. They voiced particular concern about its impact on South Africa’s red meat export market.
Steenhuisen said in Rysmierbult that efforts were under way for South Africa to regain a licence to manufacture its own vaccines. “The Agricultural Research Council is in the final testing stage of a local vaccine that will target the strains occurring in South Africa. We hope to start production in the first quarter of 2026.”
In a recent statement, the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) in the Free State raised urgent questions about how government was handling FMD. The organisation called on Steenhuisen to be transparent about the origin of the outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal and to rethink the current strategy.
The RPO demanded clarity on the boundaries of the infection “red zone”, and why roadblocks had still not been set up to control livestock movement between infected and clean areas. “The RPO specifically asks government to show where the red zone is located,” said Pieter-Daan Cilliers, chairman of the Free State Animal Health Forum, and Nico Buys, chairman of the RPO.
The Free State RPO further criticised what it described as poor coordination. “There was never a mandate for roadblocks when the disease spread from state-controlled areas.”
During his visit to Rysmierbult, Steenhuisen acknowledged that the illegal transport of livestock and farmers’ failure to report suspected cases were undermining disease control. He urged producers to cooperate with authorities. He also admitted that the department’s capacity for grassroots enforcement was limited. “We have to rely on the police and on traffic services at municipal and provincial level to assist,” he said, according to an article in Business Report.
Also read: FMD | ‘Stray livestock pose other, bigger risks’ – experts
Economic Toll Prompts Call for Practical Solutions
Both Steenhuisen and the RPO acknowledged the severe economic impact of FMD on the livestock industry and the urgent need for practical solutions. The minister announced the formation of a task team to improve coordination between government and industry.
The RPO proposed establishing a red-meat abattoir within FMD-controlled areas in KwaZulu-Natal, drawing on successful examples in Limpopo.
Both government and producer organisations stressed that collaboration was vital. “When we make policy, it is important to listen to the concerns of the community,” Steenhuisen told communal farmers at Rysmierbult. “We are working on measures that make compliance easier so that more people will vaccinate their cattle and help us get the disease under control.”
