Overview
- The agriculture minister is preparing a Cabinet request to declare foot-and-mouth disease a state of disaster to enable law-enforcement-backed movement controls via the NatJOINTS system.
- An immediate nationwide vaccination drive will be repeated in three months with targets of 100% coverage in feedlots and dairy herds, 90% in commercial livestock, and 80% in communal herds, with biannual campaigns in hotspot zones.
- Government reports nearly two million animals have already been vaccinated and aims to cut outbreaks by 70% within 12 months in high-risk provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal.
- Vaccine supply is being secured from the Botswana Vaccine Institute, Biogénesis Bagó and Dollvet with local output ramped up by ARC and Onderstepoort, while about one million doses could arrive within two weeks pending permits and antigenic matching at Pirbright.
- A 24-member advisory task team will oversee rollout alongside digital livestock traceability, real-time outbreak heatmaps, and strengthened surveillance at markets and slaughterhouses, with industry backing and a reported R1.8 billion vaccine budget.