With the Department of Agriculture (DoA) having gazetted the Routine Vaccination Scheme on May 4, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen announced farmers now have a fast-track option allowing them to take the lead in their own biosecurity efforts without first having to wait for the national rollout of vaccines to reach their area.

The scheme was established under Section 10 of the Animal Diseases Act, which followed DoA considering more than 300 submissions in record time to ensure Constitutional compliance with public participation processes.

The voluntary scheme operates as a public-private partnership, enabling owners of cloven-hoofed animals to mitigate the impact of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) through voluntary vaccination carried out under the oversight of State veterinary services.

Participating animal owners are required to appoint a private veterinarian or animal health technician as authorised by the Animal Health director to perform the duties set out in the scheme schedule. The private veterinarian or technician will then be supervised by State veterinary personnel.

The requirements for participating in the scheme include that every animal be traceable – meaning they must have a permanent mark and a unique ear tag so they can be tracked from birth to slaughter; owners must enlist an authorised veterinarian or veterinary assistant to oversee the vaccinations; participants must use a digital traceability system to record when an animal was vaccinated, the vaccine batch number and even the temperature of the fridge where the vaccine was stored; and owners must allow audits and inspections to prove that they are following the scheme’s safety rules.

By having a formal, recorded vaccination plan, farmers can prove their animals are healthy, which makes it easier to ensure business continuity so that shelves can remain stocked and meat can be traded safely.

Notably, livestock owners will need to pay for the vaccines and the veterinarian’s services. However, government may consider subsidies or cost-sharing in the future to ensure greater participation in the scheme.

Steenhuisen confirmed that South Africa’s FMD vaccine supply pipeline was stable, after the Minister and other officials from the DoA, Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), Agriculture Research Council (ARC), Agri SA, Red Meat Industry Services and African Farmers' Association of South Africa visited Brazil and Argentina last week to inspect production facilities.

Another five-million doses are ready for export to South Africa, pending finalisation of the required import procedures. In total, DoA has received six-million doses of FMD vaccines, with 5.2-million having been distributed throughout the country.

During this visit, OBP and Argentinian vaccine supplier Biogénesis Bagó signed a distribution agreement that guarantees the vaccine pipeline remains stable and reliable. South Africa has already received 2.5-million doses from this supplier alone.

Steenhuisen deemed this agreement crucial as more parts of the world were experiencing FMD outbreaks, including Greece, China, Cyprus, Israel and Germany, which means there will be a drastic increase in demand for vaccines.

The specific SAT1 topotype 3 virus that South Africa is currently battling was also reported in Türkiye in November 2025, in Azerbaijan in October 2025, in Lebanon in 2025, in Israel in January 2026, in Suria in January 2026 and in Cyprus in February this year.

Steenhuisen affirmed that South Africa remained committed to reach the goal of vaccinating 80% of the national herd by the end of the year.

As of May 5, 766 508 animals have been vaccinated in KwaZulu-Natal, 446 527 in the Free State, 376 122 in the Eastern Cape, 233 510 in Mpumalanga, 188 073 in North West, 184 036 in Gauteng, 183 770 in Limpopo, 164 474 in the Western Cape and 46 996 in the Northern Cape.

The DoA has spent R238-million on vaccine procurement, with R644-million anticipated to follow. 

CLOSER COLLABORATION

Steenhuisen said following a close study of the regionalisation model used in South America, the DoA would use the upcoming Southern African Development Community’s Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting later this month to call for a similar regional approach as well as the establishment of a regional vaccine bank.

This will allow for a consolidated regional approach to combatting FMD.

ARC has also renewed its partnership with Argentina’s National Agricultural Technology Institute to ensure South Africa’s vaccine innovation remains world-class.

“Brazil is a nation that has achieved what many thought impossible - recognition by the World Organisation for Animal Health as an FMD-free country without vaccination as of May 2025. Their 64-year journey offers us a roadmap for our own ten-year strategy,” Steenhuisen noted.

He stated that the country did not have to reinvent the wheel, but rather adjust and follow the blueprint that had already led others across the finish line.

“Our strategy is now anchored in moving from a reactive state to a partnership-driven model that prioritises scientific results and reliable supply chains,” Steenhuisen pointed out.

Later this month, a team of South African animal health experts will travel to Brazil for an intensive knowledge exchange on FMD, traceability and surveillance methods. On the cards is also the possibility of a Brazil-South Africa Biosecurity Corridor, the Minister said.

This will involve joint early-warning systems and harmonised risk assessments to turn biosecurity from a trade barrier into a bridge for economic growth.

Steenhuisen confirmed the DoA was also addressing the trade imbalance by expediting access to the Brazilian market for South African apples and citrus fruit.

Ultimately, Steenhuisen explained, South Africa was moving away from an isolated and reactive approach toward a South-South Strategic Alliance. “By integrating international science with local production, we are closing the gap between policy and practice. We are bringing the private sector into the fold under government coordination to ensure vaccines reach every farm as efficiently as possible.”

Steenhuisen affirmed that farmers were being heard and given the enormity of eradicating FMD, government’s plan to align with global leaders was not simply to manage an outbreak, but to build a resilient, competitive, and sustainable agricultural sector that would restore international confidence in South African beef and livestock.