RMIS and Biogénesis Bagó Announce Strategic Collaboration to Strengthen Foot-and-Mouth Disease Response in South Africa

A Guide to the National Foot and Mouth Disease Control Measures

New national control measures for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) came into effect when the Minister of Agriculture published them in the Government Gazette on 8 July 2026 (Notice 7668, Gazette No. 54969). They apply across the country and replace the previous FMD control measures. 

This guide explains what those measures require in practical terms. It follows what happens from the first suspicion of disease through to the lifting of quarantine, and sets out what is expected of farmers, veterinarians and others at each stage. 

The gazette is the official, legal document. Where this guide and the gazette differ, the gazette applies. 

• Alignment between national and provincial response measures
• National dashboard for progress reporting of vaccine rollout per province
• A single official channel for documentation and communication
• Prioritised producer awareness and practical guidance on FMD

Vaccines – What You Need to Know
Confirmed by Prof. Francois Maree (Virologist, University of Pretoria and MTT member).

Mixing different FMD vaccines is safe
• Mixing different types of inactivated FMD vaccines is safe, not harmful to animals, and does not reduce protection.
• Example: If your cattle were first vaccinated with BVI, they can safely be vaccinated with Dollvet or Biogenesis Bago as part of the follow-up strategy.
• This approach is known as a heterologous prime-boost (“mix and match”) vaccination strategy.

Heterologous prime-boost (“mix and match”) can be a good vaccination strategy
• All vaccines contain the same basic FMD virus antigens (such as SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3), even if the exact strains differ slightly.
• This means the animal’s immune system recognises the different antigens and gives a stronger and quicker response when vaccinated with a different formulation.
• Research suggests that using different formulations can strengthen and broaden the immune response, often resulting in better protection against virus variation in the field.

Mixing FMD vaccines with OTHER vaccines is safe
• It is safe to give FMD vaccines on the same day as other vaccines such as anthrax or E. coli.
• Studies show that this does not interfere with the effectiveness of the FMD vaccine.

Best Practice
• Do not mix different vaccines in the same syringe or needle, because different vaccine bases (oil and water) can interact if mixed.
• If animals receive more than one vaccine on the same day:
– Inject one vaccine on one side of the animal
– Inject the FMD vaccine on the opposite side
– This helps reduce local reactions and makes it easier to identify the cause if swelling occurs

•As with any vaccination programme, animals should be monitored for any adverse reactions.

Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, today confirmed that the South African government will cover the full cost of vaccinating the national herd against Foot and mouth disease (FMD).

This means there will be no cost to farmers for vaccines administered as part of the national response to the FMD outbreaks.

Vaccines have been distributed to all provinces and the vaccination programme is now well underway. Hundreds of thousands of animals are being vaccinated each week as the country works towards the target of vaccinating 80% of the national herd by December.

South Africa has already received one million vaccine doses from Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina and 1.5 million doses from Dollvet in Türkiye, with further consignments scheduled to arrive during the coming weeks to sustain the vaccination campaign.

Minister Steenhuisen expressed his appreciation to the veterinary professionals and industry partners assisting with the rollout.

In the 20 February update, the FMD ICC reported that some Provincial State Veterinarians required producers to sign an application and indemnity form before their herds could be vaccinated.

We can now confirm that the form was circulated in error and has been formally withdrawn by the DDG. Producers and veterinarians should disregard it.

Important Notices & Updates:

Traceability: Tagging of Vaccinated Animals There is ongoing confusion regarding tagging requirements for vaccination. To clarify, you do not need to purchase RFID tags. Each animal must simply have a unique identification number that is clearly displayed and traceable.

Application and Indemnity Forms: The FMD ICC is currently reviewing the legal basis of the indemnity form referred to in the 20-02-2026 Update, and will feedback as soon as possible.

KZN DMA: Documents for the lifting of the DMA is currently with the Minister for finalisation.

The FMD Management Plan (Contingency Plan) is currently under review by the MTT.

National Roll Out Plan: Due to the decentralised structure of government in South Africa, the FMD ICC will engage directly with provincial leadership and their veterinary departments through the recognised industry and organised agriculture offices in each province.

Section 9 – Movement Permits Awaiting feedback on the input submitted.

Section 10 – formal approval process enabling specific FMD control actions under the law: The Minister will do the final review of the Section 10 on Thursday, 5 March, following a meeting between representatives of the Department of Agriculture, the MTT and the FMD ICC, where input from all three will be considered.

Section 21 / SAHPRA; RMIS has made legal counsel available to SAHPRA, to prepare a memorandum on the supply and administration of FMD vaccines. This will then form the basis of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure applications are processed efficiently in future.

The Minister of Agriculture, Mr John Steenhuisen, today at OR Tambo International oversaw the arrival of the first consignment of one million high-potency Foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccines, strengthening South Africa’s expanding vaccination effort already underway in affected areas.

This shipment from Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina, forms part of a sustained supply pipeline, with further consignments scheduled to arrive over the coming weeks, including vaccine sourced from BVI in Botswana and Dollvet in Turkey.

By end of March a total of over five million vaccines will have entered the country from the three international suppliers.

Locally, the Agriculture Research Council (ARC) has committed to produce 20 000 vaccines per week and scaling up to 200 000 per week in 2027.

The additional doses will allow authorities to scale up from targeted outbreak response to broader suppression of viral circulation in high-risk regions.

The million doses of vaccine will be distributed as follow: KwaZulu-Natal 200 000 doses; Mpumalanga 100 000 doses; North West 100 000 doses; Free State 200 000 doses; Eastern Cape 150 000 doses; Limpopo 100 000 doses; Gauteng 70 000 doses; Northern Cape 50 000 doses; and Western Cape 30 000 doses.

The Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) situation in South Africa continues to escalate across multiple provinces as an ongoing national animal health crisis, impacting the livelihoods of producers and the red meat value chain.

Prioritise Mass Vaccination at Scale for Stabilisation
During the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement debate on 13 January 2026, the Minister of Agriculture stated that South Africa will follow a vaccination-to-live strategy, as successfully implemented by Brazil to control FMD. The strategy included the use of mass vaccination at scale as the primary mechanism for stabilisation, enhanced by partnerships with the private sector to expand capacity for rapid deployment.

The FMD ICC supports the Minister’s stated direction and the use of mass vaccination at scale as the primary mechanism for stabilisation, guided by the following principles:

• The immediate objective is to stop the disease spread without red tape and administrative delays.
• The effective vaccination of as many susceptible livestock as possible, within the shortest time, using approved vaccines.
• During the initial phase of the rollout, priority is focused on cattle and pigs in hot spots determined by FMD heat maps, to optimise the use of limited vaccine supplies.
• Although traceability is strongly recommended, it is not a precondition for vaccination during the initial rollout. Full compliance frameworks for traceability can be prioritised once stabilisation has been achieved.

The Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), together with the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RMPC), wishes to bring an important matter to the urgent attention of all farmers and role-players affected by the current Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) situation.

It has recently come to our attention that private companies and individuals are circulating messages on farmer communication groups and social media platforms, encouraging farmers to register on specific websites or systems with the claim that this will secure access to FMD vaccines.

RMIS and the RMPC would like to state unequivocally that:

• Any organisation or individual claiming that farmers can gain access to FMD vaccine by registering on their private system is acting maliciously and without merit.
• No private entity currently has the authority to secure or distribute FMD vaccine outside of approved government processes.

This matter has been formally escalated and addressed with the Department of Agriculture, the Ministerial Task Team, and the Industry Coordination Committee.