South Africa’s ongoing Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak continues to pose a serious risk to the livestock sector, agricultural trade and rural economies. While progress has been made in expanding vaccine access and strengthening coordination between government and industry, the pace of operational rollout in certain provinces remains an ongoing concern.

Since February 2026, 8 million vaccine doses have already been imported of which 6 million is already allocated to the provincial Departments of Agricultures and the remaining 2 million is yet to be distributed. A further 3.5 million doses are expected shortly. Combined, South Africa is expected to have landed approximately 11.5 million vaccine doses by the end of May 2026 as part of the national response effort.

The economic implications of the outbreak remain significant. Export losses have already exceeded R5.6 billion, while BFAP estimates cumulative losses could ultimately reach R25.6 billion over the next decade should outbreaks remain insufficiently controlled. Between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, livestock exports declined by 12.9%, with severe contractions in FMD-sensitive product categories and export destinations. Fresh and chilled bovine meat exports declined by 56.6%, while frozen bovine meat exports declined by 26.4%. These developments reinforce the urgency not only of stabilising the current outbreak, but also of rebuilding South Africa’s long-term vaccine capability, surveillance systems, traceability infrastructure and broader biosecurity capacity.

Confidence in Industry-Government Cooperation

AgriSA expresses confidence in the ongoing work being undertaken by the FMD Industry Coordinating Council, the Ministerial Task Team, organised agriculture, provincial structures and commodity organisations in responding to the outbreak.

The current response has demonstrated the importance of sustained public-private collaboration, shared responsibility and practical cooperation across the agricultural sector. Encouraging progress has been made in strengthening alignment between government, organised agriculture and industry stakeholders, particularly in relation to vaccine procurement, regional cooperation and the expansion of biosecurity interventions. The joint effort on Section 9 and 10 is further illustrative of the progress.

Commodity organisations and industry bodies have over many years invested significantly in movement control systems, traceability mechanisms, animal identification systems and surveillance networks that now form a critical part of the national response effort. These systems should continue to be strengthened and integrated into a broader long-term national biosecurity framework.

Data shared by organisations such as AgriSA provincial affiliates, the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO), South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO), Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO), Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA) and other commodity structures continues to play an important role in improving visibility and operational coordination across the livestock value chain. AgriSA encourages all livestock owners and producers to continue participating actively in these systems and to support accurate reporting of vaccination progress and animal movement information as part of the broader national response.

South America Engagements Strengthen Long-Term Response

The recent engagements undertaken by the Minister of Agriculture, together with organised agriculture and livestock industry leaders in Argentina and Brazil, represented an important step in strengthening South Africa’s long-term FMD response capability. The delegation engaged directly with veterinary authorities, vaccine manufacturers and industry leaders to assess successful South American vaccination systems, traceability models and surveillance mechanisms. The engagements also explored opportunities for diversified vaccine procurement, technology transfer, local manufacturing partnerships and strengthened regional cooperation. The visit reinforced the importance of integrated public-private biosecurity systems, long-term vaccination capability and coordinated disease management strategies in supporting South Africa’s pathway towards internationally recognised “FMD-free with vaccination” status.

Immediate Priorities

AgriSA believes several operational priorities remain critical over the coming months.

Firstly, the continued procurement of vaccines from a wide range of international manufacturers remains essential to ensure sustained and uninterrupted vaccine supply throughout the national vaccination programme.

Secondly, improved operational coordination and rollout capacity remain urgently necessary within several provinces where vaccination progress has been slower than anticipated. While provinces such as Gauteng and the Western Cape have achieved comparatively stronger coverage levels, a number of higher-risk livestock provinces continue to face implementation and operational challenges that require urgent attention and additional support. Strengthening provincial coordination, improving reporting consistency and accelerating on-the-ground rollout capacity will remain critical to achieving the national vaccination targets set by government.

The private sector has consistently demonstrated its willingness and capacity to assist with vaccine distribution. In this regard, strategic and operational alignment between the ICC, MTT, the Ministry as well as the Directorate of Animal Health is paramount.

Thirdly, maintaining vaccine logistics, cold-chain integrity and operational deployment systems remain essential throughout the vaccination campaign.

Fourthly, movement control remains one of the most important tools available to limit the further spread of disease. AgriSA therefore supports stronger operational coordination between veterinary authorities, provinces and law enforcement agencies to ensure that animal movement protocols are effectively implemented. AgriSA also notes the importance of ensuring that disaster-related support and operational resources are effectively coordinated across provincial and municipal systems in order to strengthen frontline response capacity where it is most needed.

Medium- and Long-Term Reform

Over the medium to long term, South Africa will need to continue building on the significant progress already made towards a more coordinated, adequately funded and modernised national biosecurity framework. The expansion of the Agricultural Research Council’s (ARC) vaccine production capability remains an important strategic priority. Recent investments and expansion plans announced by the Department of Agriculture represent an encouraging step towards rebuilding sovereign vaccine capability and reducing long-term dependence on emergency international procurement. South Africa must continue working towards a fully modernised biosecurity system supported by stronger traceability, surveillance, diagnostics, movement control and vaccine self-sufficiency.

Closing

South Africa’s livestock industry remains one of the country’s most important agricultural and rural economic assets. Protecting that asset will require sustained collaboration between government, provinces, organised agriculture, veterinary authorities and producers. While the current outbreak presents significant challenges, it also presents an opportunity to build a stronger, more modern and globally competitive agricultural biosecurity system capable of supporting long-term growth, export resilience and rural economic sustainability.

Enquiries

Willem De Chavonnes Vrugt, AgriSA President, +27 82 946 2303
Johann Kotzé, AgriSA CEO, +27 79 523 5767