Steenhuisen unveils new national measures to curb foot‑and‑mouth spread

Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has approved a new set of national control measures for Foot‑and‑Mouth Disease (FMD) that will replace previous guidelines issued under Section 9 of the Animal Diseases Act, including the 2018 FMD Contingency Plan and related protocols.

Objective and practical focus

The Department of Agriculture says the measures are designed to protect animal health while allowing farming businesses to operate wherever scientific evidence permits. The new framework aims to give producers, veterinarians and authorities a clear, practical and science‑based way to manage outbreaks while reducing unnecessary economic losses.

“They need clear rules, sound science, and practical pathways that allow them to manage outbreaks without unnecessarily jeopardising their livelihoods,”

Steenhuisen said.

Trade and quarantine: clearer pathways

A major change is the introduction of clearer pathways to allow trade to continue during quarantine periods. The measures state that animals that have been vaccinated but never infected and not subject to quarantine remain healthy and may continue to be traded and moved in accordance with normal requirements.

“The objective is simple: protect animal health and stop the disease spreading, while ensuring that farmers can continue operating safely wherever possible,”

Steenhuisen said.

Reducing unnecessary losses and targeted controls

The department says advances in scientific understanding of the FMD virus informed revisions to how long certain materials are considered risky. Fewer animal products will need to be destroyed, and items such as feed, fodder and manure will be managed according to scientifically established risk periods rather than blanket disposal requirements.

“As a result, fewer animal products need to be destroyed, reducing financial losses for producers while maintaining the highest standards of food safety and disease control.”

Alternatives to whole‑herd removal

The new approach moves away from the historic assumption that entire herds must be removed before quarantine can be lifted. Under the framework, producers have several pathways to achieve disease recovery and lift quarantine restrictions, including removing affected animals, restocking with vaccinated animals or restocking with animals from FMD‑free sources, depending on the circumstances.

“Under the new framework, producers will have several pathways available to achieve disease recovery and lift quarantine restrictions,”

Steenhuisen said. He added that

“For many farmers, particularly those operating under difficult financial conditions, the prospect of losing an entire herd can be devastating,”

and called the alternatives

“practical alternatives that are scientifically sound and economically realistic.”

Measures for different farming systems and property types

For the first time, the control measures include specific provisions for communal and semi‑rural livestock systems, noting that traditional outbreak approaches were often designed around commercial operations and may not suit communal patterns of movement.

“This is an important step forward because our disease control framework must work for all livestock owners, not only for commercial farming operations,”

Steenhuisen said.

The department also allows well‑fenced farms to manage outbreaks within affected portions of a property rather than automatically imposing full quarantine on entire operations. Larger properties with separated production units will benefit from more risk‑based movement controls.

Faster decisions and broader precautions

The veterinary procedures for declaring herds clinically clear have been streamlined and clarified, with defined response timelines and escalation mechanisms where decisions are delayed. Precautionary controls have been extended to situations where FMD is suspected, not only confirmed, and biosecurity requirements will emphasise activities and materials that pose the greatest transmission risk.

Collaborative development and review

The department said the measures were developed through broad collaboration.

“These measures are the product of extensive collaboration between the Department of Agriculture, the Ministerial Task Team, the FMD Industry Coordination Council and veterinary experts from across the sector,”

Steenhuisen emphasised.

The department will continue to review the measures as new scientific evidence emerges and will conduct a formal review after 12 months of implementation.

Political note

The article notes that the Democratic Alliance has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove Steenhuisen as minister; he remains in post until any official cabinet reshuffle is announced.

Why it matters

FMD is described in the department’s material as one of the most economically devastating animal diseases facing livestock producers, with outbreaks disrupting production, restricting market access, threatening jobs and placing financial pressure on farming families and rural communities. The revised measures aim to balance disease control with the need to limit unnecessary economic harm.