The management of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak by the Department of Agriculture faces mounting scrutiny, with questions raised about whether current containment measures are sufficient to protect the livestock sector.
Since February, the country has procured approximately 13.5 million doses of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines and vaccinated roughly 4.4 million animals, according to statements from Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen. However, Francois Rossouw, CEO of the Southern African Agricultural Initiative, expressed serious concerns about the pace and effectiveness of the vaccination campaign.
“Absolutely not,” Rossouw stated when asked if he shared the Minister’s optimism. He noted that with a first-round target of 14 million cattle requiring vaccination, the current figure of 4.4 million represents only 31% coverage. Rossouw emphasized that the World Organization for Animal Health and countries that have successfully controlled the disease maintain a standard of vaccinating 90% of the cattle herd within six to eight weeks—a target he says South Africa is “way far off” from reaching.
Rossouw highlighted that approximately 8.7 million vaccine doses remain in cold storage rather than being administered to animals. “We are trying to stop a wildfire,” he said, stressing that every farmer needs access to vaccines urgently due to a narrow containment window. He cited cases in KwaZulu-Natal where dairy cattle were reinfected after January vaccinations, attributing this to what he described as a “laxidaisical approach” to distribution.
“The only number that matters is how many vaccines have gotten into cattle at the required pace,” Rossouw added, noting that international reporting standards focus on administration, not procurement figures.
The conversation also addressed a recent High Court judgment clarifying that nothing in law prevents private procurement of vaccines to complement state efforts. Rossouw argued that, in practice, this legal avenue has not translated into action. He stated that the court identified the Minister himself as the primary obstacle preventing farmers from accessing vaccines independently. According to Rossouw, the Minister delayed court proceedings twice, opposed mediation efforts throughout, and received three punitive cost orders as a result.
Rossouw contended that eight months of centralized state control over vaccine procurement has deterred private investment in logistical distribution chains. “The state has bought up every single vaccine and they are hoarding them in fridges all across the country. They are gathering dust because the minister refuses to let farmers get access to these vaccines,” he said.
When questioned about the Minister’s possible motivations, Rossouw declined to speculate definitively but noted, “Usually, it’s only two things. It’s power and money.” He expressed hope that “common sense will prevail very shortly” to accelerate the vaccination effort.
The Southern African Agricultural Initiative remains engaged in ongoing efforts to support farmers and advocate for a more decentralized, rapid-response approach to containing the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
