Government ramps up vaccine efforts to combat foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in KZN

Minister of Agriculture John Steehuisen said that the Government will be increasing vaccines to address the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) in KZN
Image: Pexels
Minister of Agriculture John Steehuisen on Monday announced a significant increase in vaccine supplies in KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to combat the ongoing outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).
This announcement comes in the wake of urgent calls from livestock commodity groups united under the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) for the province to be declared a disaster area due to the severe implications of FMD on local livelihoods.
During his address at the TMR Conference hosted by the Milk Producers Organisation on Monday, Steehuisen FMD has severely impacted the red meat industry since the outbreaks in 2019.
'It has closed doors to critical markets. It disrupted supply chains. And it sent shockwaves through producer confidence. We have learned some hard lessons. We cannot achieve prosperity through exports without credible, science-based, and trusted disease control systems,' he said.
Steenhuisen added that the department was working closely with industry through joint command structures to improve surveillance and rapid response.
'But we know this is not enough. We need a sustainable, nationally coordinated FMD vaccination programme that meets the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH); upgraded veterinary infrastructure, and strong biosecurity protocols, not only at our borders but at farm level, transport corridors, and auction sites.'
'South Africa must adopt a system that meets international traceability requirements - digital, decentralised, and inclusive We are prioritising the finalisation of the National Traceability Framework, and we will continue to support farmer compliance through targeted technical support.'
Steehuisen said the department has ordered vaccines to cover the KZN area, while assessment, as well as forward and backward tracing of the outbreak in Gauteng is ongoing.
'These plans are not only about responding to outbreaks, but it's also about building permanent infrastructure to manage future risks.'
The Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) said it has implemented Phase 1 of its coordinated response to the ongoing Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak.
'Located at RMIS headquarters in Pretoria, the Operational Centre is being developed in a phased approach to ensure rapid implementation, relevance, and operational efficiency,' it said.
'To ensure immediate functionality, Phase 1 focuses on establishing the core operational capabilities of the OC. This phase lays the groundwork for effective coordination and control, with the following key components.'
RMIS added that they were utilising a national network of 177 Ruminant Private Veterinarians conducting daily surveillance of FMD.
It said that suspected FMD cases reported by the private veterinarians were mapped in real time on the RMIS Platform, which was specifically developed for this purpose.
'Each case's status is continuously updated and displayed on the platform, providing a national bird's-eye view of the outbreak. This visual overview supports effective disease management and decision-making within the Operational Centre.'
RMIS added that the FMD contingency plan outlined a clear step-by-step process to be followed once a suspected case is identified by a veterinarian.
'The Operational Centre will support the coordination of this process, facilitating communication and action between the farmer, private veterinarian, state veterinarian, laboratory, and the Department of Animal Health, to ensure accurate execution within the recommended timeframe.'
RMIS said that updates on case status and outbreak mapping will be communicated directly to veterinarians through the RMIS Platform via WhatsApp, ensuring fast, accurate, and streamlined information delivery.
'In Phase 2, RMIS plans to introduce a public reporting channel for suspected animal movements in collaboration with various organised agricultural organisations. This will be followed by Phase 3, which will see the integration of an electronic risk assessment and movement permit system into the RMIS platform also through collaboration with various organised agricultural organisations.'
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