Bodibe Village in Ditsobotla Local Municipality witnessed a groundbreaking two-day livestock vaccination campaign on 25 and 26 February as communal farmers took decisive action to address the chronic problem of poor cattle auction prices as a result of disease concerns.
The initiative, spearheaded by the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA) North West in partnership with Vleissentraal, Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) and the Bodibe Livestock Forum, successfully vaccinated approximately 2 000 cattle across seven communities, targeting critical diseases that have long undermined market confidence in communal farming livestock.
Also read: FMD | Vaccination update from North West
Breaking the Cycle of Low Auction Prices
Wisdom Matsheka, AFASA chairperson for North West, explained the economic challenge facing communal farmers during the campaign. “Auctioneers distrust sellers who claim vaccination, automatically lowering prices,” he said, highlighting how the absence of verifiable vaccination records has created a vicious cycle.
“Lack of vaccination status has undermined trust and value across the board. This distrust results in poorer prices even for heavier animals,” Matsheka added, sharing a personal example of how he sold four weaner calves weighing about 165kg in October/November, whereas a friend later sold his calves weighing 280kg to 290kg but received similar prices of R5 000 to R6 000, showing how disease concerns override weight advantages.
“Vaccination prevents disease, creates economic value and should secure better market prices and trust at auctions,” said Matsheka, outlining the direct economic benefits of the intervention.
A Coordinated Approach
The AFASA North West initiative forms part of a broader foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) awareness and traceability campaign that has already captured more than 50 villages across the province. The Bodibe event represents a crucial pilot for integrating vaccination with market systems.
“We’re recording vaccinations from all participating villages and developing a follow-up programme,” said Matsheka. “Our aim is to roll out vaccinations in conjunction with auction systems so that vaccinated status can be verified.”
The partnership with Vleissentraal provides essential support through promotional and educational materials, strengthening the campaign’s reach and sustainability.
Building Market Confidence
The initiative addresses a fundamental market failure where lack of information has penalised legitimate farmers. By creating verifiable vaccination records and partnering with market intermediaries, the campaign aims to restore trust between communal farmers and livestock buyers.
Matsheka outlined plans for sustained impact: “After a year, we want to establish a continued vaccination programme and use auction verification systems to maintain standards.”
Also read: WATCH | FMD in KZN – Vaccinations start as farmers remain confused and suspicious
Ernest Makua from RMIS took the opportunity to inform the farmers about the importance of traceability and free inclusive training available at RMIS.
The training addresses issues such as diseases, feedlots and marketing, among others.
Beyond awareness creation, RMIS played a critical role by:
- Providing guidance on FMD symptom identification and early reporting procedures;
- Promoting traceability systems to enhance market access and strengthen disease control;
- Supporting herd health management planning and reinforcing on-farm biosecurity practices;
- Supplying farmers with record-keeping books to improve documentation and overall farm management; and
- Facilitating engagement between farmers and industry stakeholders to ensure coordinated response efforts.
Through knowledge sharing, compliance support, industry coordination, vaccination support and improved record management, the initiative strengthened disease preparedness and contributed to the long-term sustainability of livestock farming communities.
