SA Urges Urgent Overhaul of FMD Response, Calls for Regionalised Control Zones

“This is not just about containing a disease—it’s about restoring our international credibility and access to high-value markets,” Steenhuisen emphasized.

In a strong address to the nation’s agriculture stakeholders, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has called for the urgent and proper regionalisation of South Africa’s disease control framework, particularly in light of ongoing outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) that continue to cripple the livestock industry and threaten export credibility.

Speaking at the National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Indaba, hosted at the ARC-VIMP Campus in Roodeplaat, Pretoria, on 21 July 2025, Steenhuisen described this moment as a “turning point” for South Africa’s animal health strategy. The two-day event convenes leading veterinary experts, agricultural economists, international trade specialists, and provincial representatives to develop long-term, systemic solutions to the FMD crisis.

Disease Control Undermined by Lack of Regionalisation

FMD has re-emerged aggressively across several provinces—including KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and the Free State—prompting widespread livestock movement restrictions and casting a shadow over South Africa’s red meat industry.

Steenhuisen was unequivocal in his criticism of the current national approach to managing disease outbreaks, particularly the lack of effective regionalisation, a globally accepted principle in animal disease control. Under this principle, disease outbreaks should trigger localized quarantines, rather than blanket trade restrictions affecting the entire country.

“Every credible trading nation understands that an outbreak in one part of a country should not shut down trade in all parts,” he stated. “South Africa is falling behind not because we lack veterinary science, but because of institutional inertia, fragmented legal interpretation, and insufficient capacity.”

New Leadership for a National Regionalisation Framework

To address these shortcomings, the Minister announced the appointment of two senior veterinarians, Dr Emily Mogajane and Dr Nomsa Mnisi, who will lead the development and implementation of a National Regionalisation Framework.

Both experts bring deep experience in veterinary public health, government administration, and trade negotiations. Their work will focus on:

• Defining and certifying regional disease zones across all livestock sectors in collaboration with industry partners.

• Empowering provincial governments to fulfill their roles under the Animal Health Act (Act No. 7 of 2002), aligning with South Africa’s constitutional separation of powers.

• Enhancing interdepartmental capacity to process import and export applications more efficiently.

“This is not just about containing a disease—it’s about restoring our international credibility and access to high-value markets,” Steenhuisen emphasized.

Vaccine Security: A Call for Public-Private Partnership

Steenhuisen also took aim at the breakdown in vaccine availability that hampered the country’s ability to respond to recent FMD outbreaks. Notably, the national vaccine bank was empty, and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP)—the country's sole vaccine manufacturer—was unable to meet the production demands due to outdated infrastructure.

“In the face of a crisis, we had to import FMD vaccines from Botswana just to mount a partial response. This is an unsustainable situation for a country with our livestock economy and export ambitions,” the Minister said.

He proposed the establishment of structured public-private partnerships (PPPs) to co-finance vaccine procurement for controlled diseases like FMD, lumpy skin disease, Rift Valley Fever, and brucellosis.

“This doesn’t mean the private sector manages cold chains or distribution. But just like in other sectors, agro-industries must co-invest to avoid being caught unprepared again,” Steenhuisen stated.

OBP Modernisation and Interim Measures

The Minister assured stakeholders that the state is committed to modernising OBP, but cautioned that this transformation will take time. In the meantime, the Department of Agriculture is:

• Securing forward-looking vaccine import contracts;

• Establishing minimum stock thresholds for priority animal diseases; and

• Exploring regional vaccine production collaborations to diversify supply chains.

“We must prepare for the next outbreak before it happens, not scramble for solutions afterward,” Steenhuisen said. He also stressed that vaccine security must become a shared national priority, urging livestock industry players to invest in the creation of a jointly funded national vaccine bank.

Toward a Future-Ready Animal Health System

The Foot-and-Mouth Disease Indaba represents a broader effort by government to professionalize, regionalize, and digitize the country’s animal health management framework. For years, bottlenecks in regulatory response, lack of scientific infrastructure, and slow turnaround in responding to import/export health questionnaires have cost South Africa market access and revenue.

“We are committed to rebuilding trust—both domestically and internationally—by strengthening our animal health capacity and demonstrating that South Africa is a serious trading partner,” concluded the Minister.

Outlook

With the regionalisation framework underway, institutional reforms in motion, and a roadmap for vaccine security in development, this Indaba may mark the beginning of a transformative chapter in South Africa’s agricultural resilience strategy. Industry participation, however, will be crucial to ensure sustained impact.

As FMD continues to threaten agricultural livelihoods and the national economy, the need for a unified, science-driven, and well-resourced disease control system has never been more urgent.