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.