The release of 20 000 doses of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine manufactured by South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council is an indicator that production capacity at this institution is indeed being restored.
By Lloyd Phillips, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
After many years of wholly lapsed capacity, on 6 February the ARC finally released a batch of 12 900 doses of desperately needed vaccine to fight South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease epidemic.
Under pressure from John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, and the country’s livestock sector, the ARC then set a target to produce a further 20 000 doses by the end of March.
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On 1 April, Steenhuisen’s ministry issued a statement to confirm that this target has been met and that the 20 000 doses have been released to support ongoing vaccination efforts.
“The restoration of production capacity at the ARC is well underway, with additional investment into expanding the existing capacity over the medium-term, already afoot. Over time, this will progressively reduce reliance on imports of FMD vaccines and ensure sustainability of vaccine supply in line with the national disease management strategy.”
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The ARC will continue producing additional batches of vaccine comprising approximately 20 000 doses each. This vaccine provides protection against the SAT1, SAT2 or SAT3 strains of FMD as conditions dictate.
Steenhuisen’s ministry says: “Since the initial release of the 12 900 doses of ARC FMD vaccine and the importation of one million disease of Biogénesis Bagó vaccine from Argentina and 1.5 million doses of Dollvet vaccine from Turkey, over 1.7 million animals have been vaccinated up to 26 March 2026.
“During the month of April, an additional 3,5 million vaccine doses – comprising 1.5 million from Biogénesis Bagó and two million from Dollvet – will boost the vaccination efforts.”
Also read:
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