Two agricultural organisations are providing South African farmers with free training on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) prevention and outbreak response to help protect livestock assets and maintain market access during the current FMD crisis.
Agri Studies SA and Agri Auctions SA have made their “Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Prevention, Biosecurity & Outbreak Response Certificate Course” available nationwide at no cost to commercial and emerging producers.
What Help Farmers Receive
The partnership provides farmers with structured, certified training covering critical areas, including FMD transmission and risk factors, on-farm biosecurity system implementation, preventative protocols, livestock movement control, legal outbreak response procedures and farm worker training.
The fully online, self-paced course delivers practical guidance farmers can immediately apply on their operations. Participants receive certificates upon completion and can access the training anywhere in South Africa.
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Addressing Current Challenges
The training directly addresses the heightened disease risk farmers face, providing them with tools to implement biosecurity measures, respond correctly to suspected cases and train their staff appropriately. This knowledge helps protect income streams and maintain market access during periods of movement restrictions and market uncertainty.
“The agricultural sector is facing unprecedented challenges with the current FMD outbreak, and we believe education is one of the most powerful tools we can provide,” said Pieter Goosen of Agri Studies SA. “This partnership allows us to fulfil our social responsibility by supporting farmers when they need it most.”
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Course Access and Objectives
Farmers can register for the course through WhatsApp or the Agri Studies website. You get immediate access to the training materials. The initiative aims to strengthen farm-level biosecurity standards across South Africa while helping producers protect their livestock operations.
The collaboration represents both organisations’ commitment to supporting the agricultural sector during a critical period when effective disease management can mean the difference between maintaining or losing market access and income.
Also read:
FMD | What to do while we wait for vaccines
FMD | Practical biosecurity advice from North West vets
FMD | Vaccine still on its way – ‘Keep your farm gates closed!’
