Briefing the media in Parliament, Steenhuisen said government had secured 13.5 million FMD vaccine doses to curb the spread of the disease, protect food security and safeguard the livelihoods of farmers and workers across the livestock value chain.
KwaZulu-Natal, which has been at the centre of the outbreak response, has recorded the highest number of vaccinations, with more than 1.1 million animals vaccinated. The Free State has vaccinated about 600,000 animals, while the Northern Cape has recorded about 87,000 vaccinations.
Steenhuisen said the scale of the campaign showed the state’s commitment to containing the disease, but he urged provinces and industry partners to accelerate the deployment of vaccines.
“To date, government has already spent R494 million on vaccine procurement and deployment. Too often this fact is overlooked in public debate. We have carried the financial burden of this intervention because the cost of inaction would have been far greater,” he said.
“Protecting the national cattle population, safeguarding jobs, preserving food security and restoring confidence in the livestock economy are national priorities.”
South Africa has been battling repeated FMD outbreaks that have disrupted livestock movement, strained farmers and threatened market access for meat and other animal products. The disease is highly contagious and mainly affects cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.
Steenhuisen said government was also working with neighbouring countries to support regional vaccination, particularly along border areas where livestock movement increases the risk of cross-border transmission.
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“We have also set aside some vaccines for regional vaccination, particularly in South Africa’s neighbours. This is very important because, given the fact that there is a shortage of vaccines, it is in our interest to ensure that vaccination is taking place by those countries, particularly on the border interfaces that we have with those countries,” Steenhuisen said.
He said South Africa had also secured regulatory approval for the importation of a further 14 million doses to support booster vaccinations, after the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority approved a Section 21 application.
Steenhuisen said the department’s response was being guided by two priorities: disease control and market access. He said officials continued to engage strategically important export markets, including countries in the Middle East and North Africa, to facilitate trade under science-based and risk-based conditions.
“These developments matter because every market retained, reopened or expanded supports jobs, protects farm incomes, sustains processing facilities and strengthens confidence throughout the value chain,” Steenhuisen said.
The Department of Agriculture is also preparing to launch a Public-Private Biosecurity Model aimed at improving the national response to animal disease outbreaks and strengthening coordination between government, farmers and industry bodies.
Steenhuisen said the model was intended to keep the livestock value chain functioning, allowing farmers to sell animals and ensuring the continued supply of meat and other livestock products while disease-control measures remain in place.
“Biosecurity cannot be the responsibility of government alone, nor can it be carried by industry alone. Protecting South Africa’s agricultural economy requires a durable partnership based on shared responsibility, coordinated action and effective risk management,” he said.
