Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has announced that the first batch of a 3.5-million dose consignment of Biogénesis Bagó Foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccines arrived on Sunday, and has called on all provincial departments to ensure their top priority for the next few weeks must be to vaccinate as many animals as quickly as possible.
The remainder of this record-breaking shipment from Argentina is already en route and expected to arrive during the course of the week.
Largest single consignment
“This is the largest single consignment of FMD vaccines ever imported into South Africa. Provinces must now move with speed and urgency to scale up frontline vaccination efforts and protect our national herd of approximately 14-million cattle,” said Steenhuisen.
With the arrival of the 3.5-million doses, South Africa will have successfully secured and imported a total of 13.5-million vaccine doses before the end of May.
This forms part of the Department of Agriculture’s wider strategy to achieve and maintain “FMD free with vaccination” status, while safeguarding rural livelihoods, food security and agricultural exports.
Importation of follow-up consignments
To maintain the pace and effectiveness of the campaign, the department is already fully prepared to facilitate the importation of follow-up consignments required for the critical booster vaccination programme. This will ensure that second-round vaccinations can be administered within the required timelines to establish durable immunity across the national herd.
“The acquisition of 13.5-million doses in just four months demonstrates the seriousness with which we are confronting this disease,” Steenhuisen said.
“If we maintain this disciplined and aggressive trajectory, and ensure these vaccines are administered rapidly and effectively, we can ensure that South Africa never again experiences outbreaks on this scale.”
Call for unified national effort
The minister emphasised that defeating FMD requires a unified national effort across government, industry and farming communities.
“This is a moment that demands partnership and collective action. Commercial farmers, communal farmers, veterinarians, industry bodies and government all have a role to play if we are to defeat this disease and secure the future of our livestock sector.
“The stakes could not be higher. This is about protecting jobs, defending rural economies, safeguarding food security, and protecting the national interest,” Steenhuisen said.
To support the accelerated vaccination campaign, more animal health technicians will be appointed and deployed across affected provinces to strengthen frontline operations and expand vaccination capacity.
- South Africa received the first batch of a 3.5 million-dose shipment of Biogénesis Bagó Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines from Argentina, part of a record 13.5 million doses secured before the end of May.
- Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen urged all provinces to prioritize rapid and widespread vaccination to protect the national herd of approximately 14 million cattle.
- The government aims to achieve and maintain “FMD free with vaccination” status to safeguard rural livelihoods, food security, and agricultural exports.
- Follow-up vaccine consignments are planned for booster doses to ensure durable herd immunity, with more animal health technicians being appointed to boost vaccination efforts.
- Steenhuisen called for a unified national effort among government, farmers, veterinarians, and industry bodies to defeat FMD and protect the livestock sector and rural economies.
Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has announced that the first batch of a 3.5-million dose consignment of Biogénesis Bagó Foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccines arrived on
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To maintain the pace and effectiveness of the campaign, the department is already fully prepared to facilitate the importation of follow-up consignments required for the critical booster vaccination programme.
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“If we maintain this disciplined and aggressive trajectory, and ensure these vaccines are administered rapidly and effectively, we can ensure that
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To support the accelerated vaccination campaign, more animal health technicians will be appointed and deployed across affected provinces to strengthen frontline operations and expand vaccination capacity.
