By BAKANG MOKOTO
1 September 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it welcomed the update by Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, on the measures being implemented to combat Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). The DA said they note with particular importance that no new outbreaks have been recorded in the Eastern Cape since September 2024.
The DA spokesperson on Agriculture and Member of Parliament (MP), Willie Aucamp said Northern Cape and Western Cape remain FMD-free. Aucamp said there are currently 274 unresolved outbreaks in five provinces, of which 180 are in KwaZulu-Natal.
“KZN remains the epicentre of infection, and was the source of the Mpumalanga outbreak following the sale of infected cattle at auction.
“The announcement of a mid-scale vaccine production facility, due to be operational by March 2026, to strengthen South Africa’s self-reliance and reduce dependence on imports. Key steps to accelerate animal identification, expand diagnostic capacity, and intensify awareness campaigns,” he said.
Aucamp further said the establishment of an Industry–Government Task Team on animal disease prevention, management and control — a vital structure to ensure better coordination, enforcement, and accountability. He added that FMD has severe consequences for South Africa’s agricultural industry.
“It blocks export opportunities, increases costs for both producers and consumers and threatens jobs across the value chain. We are encouraged by the Minister’s commitments, but stresses that success will depend on an all-of-society approach.
“Farmers, industry, government, and civil society must all act responsibly and in the best interests of the agricultural sector and the broader economy,” said Aucamp.
He said the DA will continue to monitor the implementation of these measures, and hold the government accountable to ensure that FMD is brought under control and that South Africa’s agricultural industry is protected.
Meanwhile, Steenhuisen indicated that the Ministry of Agriculture has been flooded with media queries about the occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease in especially two provinces, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
He said concerns were raised about meat safety and interventions from the Department of Agriculture to contain existing outbreaks and prevent future outbreaks.
“We would like to put the facts on the table and ask all citizens to make it their business to obtain knowledge about how to mitigate the spread of this disease.
“After all, biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility. The department has ordered 901 200 doses of vaccines to the value of over R70 million,” he said.
The Guardian 