The department says it has provisionally costed the vaccine requirements for the 2025/2026 financial year at R1.2bn, with each vaccine estimated at R100 per dose. Stock photo.
Image: Aurélie Le Moigne/123rf.com

Animal movement restrictions in the disease management areas (DMA) in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape will be lifted soon after positive results by the department of agriculture to control and eradicate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). 

The department announced an urgent order was placed for much-needed vaccines to the value of R72m.

In an update on FMD on Wednesday, the department said agriculture minister John Steenhuisen escalated control efforts to the deputy director-general (DGG): agricultural production, biosecurity and natural resources management earlier this month.

“The office of the DDG has already engaged veterinary services and various industry representatives to detail the actions required to curb the threat,” it said.

The biosecurity, traceability and record keeping of animals bought and sold at auctions and similar industries were raised as a specific concern and this will be addressed by the department in a directive due to be published.

Funds for the procurement of the vaccine have been transferred to Onderstepoort Biological Products.

“The procurement process has started and the next batch of vaccines is estimated to be delivered by mid-June. This marks a crucial step forward in the department’s vaccination strategy.”

The department had provisionally costed the vaccine requirements for the 2025/2026 financial year at R1.2bn, with vaccines estimated at R100 per dose.

A DMA has been in place in the Kouga and Kou-Kamma municipalities in the Eastern Cape since July 26 2024 to control FMD outbreaks.

“Through a robust vaccination campaign, 144,424 vaccinations were successfully administered.”

With the last cases reported in September 2024 and extensive serological surveillance confirming no undetected pockets of the disease, Steenhuisen said the movement restrictions in the Eastern Cape DMA will be lifted soon.

“Similarly, restrictions on the DMA in Limpopo will be lifted. This DMA has been in place since September 2022 to control an outbreak in dip tanks in the Vhembe municipality,” he said.

However, there were still signs of active virus circulation in KwaZulu-Natal and the DMA remained in place.

“Some outbreaks detected outside the DMA were successfully contained with no sign of outward spread of the disease.”

The department said FMD was reported on one farm in the Gert Sibande municipality in Mpumalanga, which was identified as a trace forward from an auction in KZN. After one round of targeted surveillance of surrounding farms, there were no signs that this outbreak spread to adjacent farms or other linked locations.

There were also new cases detected in Gauteng. A feedlot and adjacent farm were found to be positive in the West Rand municipality.

“Initial information implicated an auction in Heidelberg. However follow-up epidemiological investigation indicated there was most likely another source of infection. Veterinary services are testing adjacent premises and linked locations to determine the origin of this outbreak and possible spread.”

In the second half of May, clinical signs of FMD were reported in communal cattle in Ekurhuleni. Samples were collected and FMD infection was confirmed. Epidemiological investigations have commenced to identify and test adjacent and linked locations.

The spread of FMD outbreaks in KZN to Mpumalanga and Gauteng led to China suspending imports of cloven-hoofed animals and related products. However, the department said this suspension included only beef from South Africa to China.

“The good news is the export of wool that complies with the protocol already agreed to has not been affected.”