South Africa plans to vaccinate its entire herd of more than 7 million cattle in an effort to contain foot-and-mouth disease in the continent’s biggest beef producer.
The campaign aims to inoculate the nation’s entire cattle herd, starting in the provinces hardest hit by the latest foot-and-mouth outbreak — KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga and North West, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said in an emailed statement from his department on Wednesday.
Farmers in those regions will submit livestock counts and details of quarantined farms as part of the drive, he said.
The effort is aimed at positioning Africa’s largest beef producer to apply for “freedom with vaccination” status from the World Organisation for Animal Health, the department said, a key step toward reopening and growing export markets.
The industry has reached a crisis and the step of vaccinating the national herd of around 7.2 million is a response to this challenge, Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber, said in an emailed note.
“Vaccinating all these cattle will be a massive undertaking,” Sihlobo said. “Still, this decision is courageous, as it ensures that South Africa protects its cattle herd and can continue its red meat export focus.”
South Africa has struggled to contain foot-and-mouth disease since 2019 due to vaccine shortages and uncontrolled animal movements, with recurring outbreaks forcing major feedlots into quarantine. The resulting supply squeeze — along with higher costs of moving cattle to auctions and abattoirs — has driven up beef prices and added to inflation.
The disease primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals, causing blisters and sores in their mouths and feet and while it’s transmissible to humans, it crosses the species barrier with difficulty.
The department expects to receive 2 million vaccine doses in two separate consignments by February, it said. To reduce reliance on imports, a mid-scale vaccine production facility is being established under the national biosecurity program, with the goal of producing an additional 1.5 million doses through a partnership between government and industry.
