Agriculture department intensifies fight against foot-and-mouth disease

“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.”