South Africa to vaccinate its entire cattle population of 7.2 million against FMD

Last Wednesday, South Africa's Minister of Agriculture announced that the country is launching a national campaign to vaccinate its entire cattle herd of approximately 7.2 million animals against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). The aim is to bring FMD outbreaks to a complete halt.

Earlier in the past few months, some 931,200 animals were vaccinated, but this was not enough — FMD cases are still on the rise and uncontrolled livestock movements are slowing down the control measures.

The new plan gives priority to the provinces where the disease is most active. The aim is to ensure full vaccination of the herd by early 2026.

To secure the supply of vaccines, the PAR will work with the local vaccine manufacturer Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), the Agricultural Research Council and international partners from China and Argentina). The plan is to expand laboratory capacity and establish a supply chain to meet the needs of a massive cattle vaccination campaign.

Experts see this initiative as a bold but crucial step in risk management — if the vaccination succeeds, the cattle sector can survive and the SA cattle exports can recover.

FFMD outbreaks threaten not only the local livestock industry but also the country's exports — if South Africa is able to contain the disease, it will send a strong signal to the global meat and livestock markets.