South Africa is ramping up its vaccination efforts and increasing vaccine stockpiles to combat a growing outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), according to a statement from the Department of Agriculture. The escalating crisis poses a serious threat to the country’s beef supply chain and livestock industry.
Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly infectious viral illness that primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals but can also impact other species. In recent months, outbreaks have been recorded in five of South Africa’s nine provinces, with KwaZulu-Natal emerging as the most affected region.
A major development this week saw Karan Beef—South Africa’s largest feedlot and one of the largest globally—report an FMD outbreak at its Heidelberg facility, located approximately 50 kilometers southeast of Johannesburg. The facility, which processes around 2,000 cattle per day, is now under quarantine, potentially disrupting beef production and supply.
To contain the spread, the government has ordered more than 900,000 doses of FMD vaccines, with the initial batch expected to arrive within the next week. “These measures go beyond immediate containment and aim to establish long-term infrastructure for managing future outbreaks,” the agriculture ministry stated.
Amid rising concerns, some cattle producers are calling for the declaration of a “state of disaster” to unlock emergency powers and financial support for the affected livestock sector.
International trade has also been affected, as countries such as China, Namibia, and Zimbabwe have suspended imports of South African beef and related products.
Adding to the sector’s challenges, South Africa is still recovering from a severe avian flu outbreak in 2023, which wiped out nearly one-third of its poultry population. In response, the government announced the first-ever nationwide vaccination campaign for poultry to guard against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), a deadly and fast-spreading strain of bird flu.
