FMD Takes Toll on Exports

After months of battling a Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak that pushed the South African economy to the brink, a sense of immense relief has finally surfaced as the nation receives its first batch of locally produced vaccines. On 6 February 2026, the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, visited the ARC Onderstepoort Veterinary Research facility to witness the finalisation of this inaugural batch. Steenhuisen noted that this milestone signals a shift from reactionary disease chasing to a proactive, science-led war on FMD, with the goal being to reclaim South Africa’s FMDfree status from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). This progress is the result of intensive collaboration between the government, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP). Despite this domestic breakthrough and the Minister’s fight for a disease-free country, the outbreak has already been classified as a national disaster, severely bruising South Africa’s once-thriving cumulative beef export trade. Key regional markets have responded with stringent restrictions, most notably Zambia, which has banned all immediate import trade originating from South Africa. Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address, Benny Munyama released a statement on 14 February 2026, confirming that the ban is an essential effort to prevent the disease from crossing borders. Munyama detailed that the Department of Veterinary Services, led by Director Dr. Charles Maseka, has implemented immediate measures including the revocation of all issued permits. These precautionary steps involve the suspension of imports for all cloven-hoofed animals, livestock feeds, trophies, skins, hides, and hooves. Furthermore, the issuance of permits for cloven-hoofed animal products is suspended unless strict mitigation measures are undertaken in accordance with the Terrestrial Animal Health Code, and the transiting of live cloven-hoofed animals through Zambia is strictly prohibited. Munyama emphasised that these measures will be reviewed depending on the progression of the outbreak in Southern Africa. As the South African rollout begins, the FMD vaccine has been officially registered by ARC scientists and technicians under Act 36 of 1947, ensuring it complies with all required quality, safety, and efficacy standards. To bridge the gap while local production scales up, the ministry has clarified its procurement strategy to maintain a steady supply. Addressing recent confusion, the agriculture department stated that from the outset, it is important to clarify misinformation regarding vaccine imports by private companies, noting that Steenhuisen and the department confirm they have no objection to the use of designated agents, such as Design Biologix for Argentina’s Biogénesis Bagó and Dunevax for Turkey’s Dollvet. The priority remains the consistent arrival of vaccines rather than the specific procurement channel, as the department maintains that claims proposing a vaccine free-for-all are short-sighted and reckless, flying in the face of established international and local precedent for disease control. To successfully regain FMD-free status with vaccination from the WOAH, South Africa must prove there has been no virus transmission for at least twelve months. This necessitates a strictly controlled vaccination rollout, official surveillance, rigorous movement controls, and systematic vaccination coverage that can be verified. The agriculture department has committed to working alongside private veterinarians and animal health technicians as this process unfolds, warning that without centralised monitoring and state-led control, the country will fail to achieve its goals, causing long-term damage to agricultural exports and negating the entire vaccination strategy.