As foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) closed in on Mayor Chris Pappas’s uMngeni Local Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands late last year, he ultimately called on the state to urgently deploy police and army resources to help stem the scourge, but his request was in vain. His municipality arguably set an example by implementing measures to delay and mitigate the inevitable arrival and spread of FMD.

According to the Animal Diseases Act of 1984, which legislates the control of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) when an outbreak occurs, it is the state’s responsibility to respond to the disease in the public’s interest. Gauteng’s efforts to contain the outbreak are in focus, with stricter measures and real-time information updates and data integrations being used to safeguard the desired outcomes. 

Farmers should not wait until foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) breaks out in their area before introducing strict biosecurity measures – you can’t close the gate to keep the horses in if they have already bolted. 

Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen is scheduled to visit the Agricultural Research Council’s Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR) facility on Friday to observe the finalisation of the first batch of locally produced foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines.  

With millions of doses of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine scheduled to start arriving in South Africa from mid-February, KwaZulu-Natal wants no delays with receiving and rolling out vaccinations to its millions of livestock. From taxi bosses and farmers to the provincial premier, all are hastily working together to be 100% ready to roll. 

“For the rest of this term of office, I will focus all my time and energy as Minister of Agriculture on defeating the most devastating foot-and-mouth disease outbreak our country has ever seen, and to pursue mass vaccination to ensure that this is the last mass outbreak of FMD our country ever sees.” This was John Steenhuisen’s promise on Wednesday when he announced that he will not seek re-election as leader of the DA. 

The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) has announced the release of the first batch of a locally produced foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine, calling it a historic milestone in strengthening South Africa’s animal health system and livestock biosecurity.

The Department of Agriculture says it never expressed a preference for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines to be purchased directly by the state. However, reliable sources cite a different course of events. 

Argentine vaccine manufacturer Biogénesis Bagó has withdrawn its authorisation to South African company Design Biologix to submit and hold a Section 21 application for the import of Bioaftogen, its foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine, into South Africa, with immediate effect. 

Recent suspected cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among livestock in northeastern Botswana have subsequently been confirmed positive. New suspected cases are now being investigated. Botswana has begun vaccinating livestock in the affected areas. 

As the foot-and-mouth disease virus spreads like wildfire, decision-making and the implementation of solutions continue to lag behind, hamstrung by administrative processes designed for a different era – and managed by officials who appear more intent on flexing political muscle than on solving the problem. 

The Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has raised the alarm about the declining adherence to critical biosecurity protocols among farmers in the province. This poses a significant threat of accelerated viral transmission to surrounding agricultural operations.