A National Fightback: Government Launches Mass Vaccination Against Devastating Foot-and-Mouth Disease

The South African government is launching an all-out offensive against one of the most damaging foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in decades, announcing a comprehensive strategy to vaccinate the entire national cattle herd.

In a sober address, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen delivered a blunt assessment: “This is a battle we are not winning.” The admission signals a significant escalation in the country’s approach to a crisis that has crippled parts of the agricultural sector and caused immense hardship for farming families.

“We must be honest with the public and with the farming sector,” Steenhuisen said, acknowledging the frustration and financial pain felt by producers. “For this reason, we are now significantly strengthening our approach to regain control of the situation.”

The Epicenter and the Challenge

The outbreak’s epicenter remains KwaZulu-Natal, which accounts for a staggering 180 of the 274 unresolved outbreaks nationwide. Despite the government having vaccinated over 930,000 animals in the last three months, these efforts have been consistently undermined by one major problem: uncontrolled animal movement, which allows the virus to keep spreading.

The New Vaccination Drive

The new plan is both immediate and long-term. To meet the massive demand for vaccines, the department aims to take delivery of two million doses by February next year. Furthermore, in a move to ensure self-sufficiency, a new mid-scale vaccine production facility is being established as part of a national biosecurity program. The goal is for government and industry to make an additional 1.5 million doses available.

Why This is a Lifeline for Farmers

For the red meat industry, this announcement is a critical first step toward economic recovery. Frikkie Maré, chief executive of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO), explained the devastating market consequences of the disease. While FMD often presents with mild symptoms in animals, it effectively locks farmers out of normal market channels.

Vaccinated animals can only be sent for direct slaughter, which is catastrophic for the majority of South African cattle producers who operate a “cow-calf” system. These farmers rely on selling weaned calves, a commodity that has no market during an FMD outbreak.

“The industry as a whole was in desperate need of a solution,” Maré stated, calling the vaccination drive “the first tangible step in the right direction.” He believes it will allow weaner producers to regain market access, feedlots to resume normal operations, and the entire red meat value chain to begin functioning properly again.

For a sector on its knees, the national vaccination plan represents more than just disease control; it is the key to unlocking the economy of entire rural communities and restoring the flow of a vital food source to the nation.

{Source: Citizen} 

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