JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- South Africa on Friday launched a nationwide vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) to protect the country's livestock industry and agricultural economy, local media reported.
During a visit to a farm near Mooi River in KwaZulu-Natal Province, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen said that mass vaccination remains the government's primary strategy to effectively contain the outbreak, according to TimesLIVE news site.
"We are committed to protecting the livelihoods of our farmers, from our communal lands to our commercial operations," Steenhuisen said, noting that the government's goal is to regain its "FMD-free with vaccination" status.
To support the nationwide effort, 45 vaccination teams have been deployed across the country, operating daily with a target of inoculating up to 90,000 animals per day and covering the approximately 2.4 million head of cattle in KwaZulu-Natal, which has been identified as the primary epicenter of the outbreak.
Regarding long-term vaccine supply, the Agricultural Research Council has begun producing 20,000 doses per week, with plans to increase output to 200,000 doses per week by 2027. The National Treasury has reallocated approximately 400 million rand (about 25.1 million U.S. dollars) of underspent agriculture funds to support the fight against the disease.
"This is our commitment to farmers: We will take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of livestock and the continued operation of the dairy sector," Steenhuisen added.
Earlier this month, the South African government declared the FMD outbreak nationwide a "national disaster." According to a recent report released by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy, a total of 24,400 FMD cases were reported in domestic livestock in the country in 2025.
