Minister John Steenhuisen on arrival of more vaccines for Foot and Mouth disease

The Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, is pleased to announce that a shipment of two million doses of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine from Dollvet in Turkey has arrived in the country and distribution to the provinces will commence in the next few days. This is the first tranche of the six million doses order placed with Dollvet through their local agents, Dunevax.

Building on this progress, an order for an additional five million doses from Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina has been placed with Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP). This consignment of vaccines will arrive in the country in two batches, 3.5 million and 1.5 million doses respectively, as soon as the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) approves the Section 21 application for the importation thereof.

“It needs to be made clear that the department has procured all matched vaccines currently available on the international market, and we have ensured that we have access to a steady supply. We will push forward to make sure that we achieve our goal - vaccinate the national herd to achieve World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) recognition of FMD-free status with vaccination. This will allow us to access international markets for South African red meat that have been closed for decades due to FMD” Minister Steenhuisen said.

Strategic vaccine allocation

In order to effectively manage the vaccine rollout, the Department of Agriculture is implementing a scientific, targeted allocation strategy based on animal risk and population figures.

The allocation of the latest tranche of Dollvet vaccines, will be distributed to provinces based on an amended risk policy as follows:

The Eastern Cape has been allocated 135 400 doses; Free State 182 400 doses; Gauteng 124 800 doses; KwaZulu Natal 192 000 doses; Mpumalanga 144 000 doses; North West 182 400 doses; Western Cape 150 000 doses; Northern Cape 100 000 doses; and Limpopo 150 000 doses.

Furthermore, there will be dedicated special vaccine allocations to support key agricultural sectors to ensure the continuity of our food supply chain with 100 000 does to the dairy industry; 150 000 doses to the feedlot industry and 150 000 doses to the pig industry.

A total of 239 000 doses will be held back for the purpose of immediate emergency deployment where required.

“Our strengthened surveillance and faster reporting systems, which allows us to capture data from provinces more quickly, are critical to these efforts. We continue to work closely with the private sector and industry bodies to ensure that our vaccination drive remains efficient and reaches every corner of our country,” Minister Steenhuisen said.

Since February 2026, we have received four million doses of FMD vaccines: 2.5 million doses from Biogénesis Bagó and 1.5 million doses from Dollvet. This is in addition to the 2 million vaccine doses imported in the last quarter of 2025. This supply has ensured the vaccination of 2.1 million animals nationally.

On 10 April 2026, Minister Steenhuisen officially announced the intention to publish the Routine Vaccination Scheme for Foot and Mouth Disease (RVS-FMD) under Section 10 of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act No. 35 of 1984). The deadline for comments was 17 April 2026, and the submissions that have been received are currently being evaluated and consolidated, following which the final scheme will be published.

Global situation

It is important to note that outbreaks of FMD are not unique to South Africa. FMD outbreaks are currently being experienced in various parts of the world, including regions in Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific. Countries such as Greece, China, Cyprus, Israel, and most recently Germany, have reported outbreaks.

Furthermore, the specific SAT1 topotype 3 virus that we are currently battling has been reported in Turkey in November 2025, Azerbaijan in October 2025, Lebanon in November 2025, Israel in January 2026, Cyprus in December 2025 and February 2026, as well in Syria in January 2026.

Enquiries:
Ms Joylene van Wyk
Cell: 083 292 7399 / 063 298 5661
E-mail: joylenev@nda.gov.za / medialiaison@nda.agric.za

Toll-Free FMD Support Line: 0860 246 640
E-mail: FMDcommandcent@nda.gov.za

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