South Africa’s livestock industry has been battling foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) for years — and the cost is growing. For farmers, agribusinesses, and the broader economy, repeated outbreaks bring financial strain, limit growth, and increasingly threaten the country’s export ambitions.
It’s clear: if South Africa is to escape this damaging cycle, a new, more decisive approach is needed. That means going beyond reactive containment and seriously considering a shift to widespread national vaccination — a strategy that’s helped other livestock-exporting nations succeed.
The Case for Vaccination
Countries like Brazil have shown that with the right systems in place, nationwide vaccination can control FMD effectively while preserving access to export markets. Brazil didn’t lose its global competitiveness — instead, it adapted its disease management strategy and negotiated market terms accordingly.
South Africa could follow a similar path. But doing so would require not only policy reform, but also full support from the livestock sector, especially large feedlots. These players are critical in connecting small and medium-scale farmers to formal markets. Without their buy-in, widespread vaccination will struggle to deliver inclusive growth.
The High Cost of Inaction
The risks of doing nothing — or not doing enough — are already playing out. In 2022, China temporarily banned South African wool exports over FMD concerns, even though the outbreak was limited to cattle. In early 2025, the UK followed suit, again blocking wool imports due to a cattle outbreak.
This shows how international markets react to perception, not just facts. The reputational risk tied to recurring FMD cases affects the entire livestock industry, including sectors with no active infections, like sheep and wool.
Moreover, major processors and buyers grow increasingly cautious. With disease risks high, feedlots are less likely to source livestock from smaller producers — widening inequality and blocking emerging farmers from market access.
Biosecurity Failures Persist
Improved outbreak management has been on the table for years. Yet some of the most basic recommendations — like staffing control fences around infected zones 24/7 — still haven’t been implemented in provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal.
These gaps are unacceptable. Movement control remains one of the most critical components in halting FMD’s spread, and we must ask why provincial authorities have failed to act on recommendations made three years ago by the Biosecurity Task Team.
A Fragile Vaccine Supply Chain
South Africa currently imports 100% of its FMD vaccines from Botswana — a risky and unsustainable situation for a country with such a large livestock industry. Our own institutions, including Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), have lost capacity due to years of mismanagement and corruption.
Although the Department of Agriculture has committed to reviving OBP and ARC, rebuilding their production capabilities will take time. In the interim, the government should partner with private laboratories to scale up vaccine production and ensure the country is not held hostage by limited supply.
A New Strategy for a New Era
Adopting a national vaccination programme would require serious planning — but the benefits far outweigh the costs. With a robust rollout plan, greater collaboration across the sector, and an upgraded vaccine manufacturing system, South Africa could reclaim its place as a reliable global supplier of livestock and animal products.
We would also need to renegotiate export terms, just as South American countries have done, ensuring that being a “vaccinating country” doesn’t automatically disqualify us from international markets.
The Bottom Line
Without bold action, South Africa risks deepening its FMD crisis — and excluding thousands of small- and medium-scale farmers from the formal value chain. Widespread vaccination, combined with strong biosecurity and reliable vaccine production, offers a way forward.
So, the real question is not whether we can afford to start nationwide vaccination — but whether we can afford not to.
The time to act is now.
