New state of disaster on the cards for South Africa
Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, announced that he will table a declaration of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak as a state of disaster at the next Cabinet meeting.
On Wednesday, 15 January 2026, Steenhuisen outlined the national strategy for containing foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa.
“I have a clear roadmap for the protection of our national livestock herd and the restoration of South Africa’s international standing in the agricultural sector,” he said.
Since losing its foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-free status in 2019, South African farmers have faced unprecedented challenges.
“I have received many pleas for help, from commercial to communal farmers, who have borne the heavy burden of the recent outbreaks in the country,” he said.
“I must be frank with the nation: achieving FMD-free status is a monumental task that will not happen overnight.”
Steenhuisen said the strategy will be phased over ten years, beginning with stabilisation and consolidation.
It will then move towards the eventual withdrawal of vaccination and final recognition of national freedom through vaccination by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
“I need to emphasise that vaccination is not a silver bullet to eradicate or manage this disease. It is merely one of the tools to combat the disease,” he said.
The targeted vaccination will prioritise high-risk zones, with the goal of reaching at least 80% coverage in targeted cattle populations.
High-quality vaccines with high potency will be used during the campaign, especially the trivalent vaccines of SAT 1, 2, and 3, which are currently circulating in South Africa.
Steenhuisen added that he wants the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak declared as a state of disaster, which will allow for a better and less constrained response.
He said the state of disaster will allow them to get better cooperation from the police and traffic departments to assist with the movement control of animals.
Many organisations are calling for a state of disaster
Steenhuisen’s announcement followed calls from the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) and the Southern Africa Agri Initiative (Saai) to declare the outbreak a national disaster.
Saai said this would bring critical benefits to struggling farmers and accelerate the containment of the outbreak.
Saai added that the financial survival of family farmers must be placed at the centre of all efforts to combat the disease and to limit its severe economic impact.
Saai CEO Francois Rossouw explained that declaring the FMD outbreak a national disaster would enable faster mobilisation of national resources.
A declaration would enable the government to rapidly deploy supplies, equipment, vehicles and facilities to affected areas.
It would also strengthen vaccination campaigns, as well as roadblocks, checkpoints, disinfectants, and the overall response capacity to the outbreak.
The VF Plus also called for a state of disaster to be declared in response to the widespread outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
The party stated that its ultimate goal is to restore South Africa’s status as a country free from foot-and-mouth disease.
Being free from foot-and-mouth disease means the local livestock industry will regain access to all international markets.
This includes, among other things, restoring South Africa’s capacity to manufacture vaccines for the specific strain of the disease.
Although the Freedom Front Plus welcomed Steenhuisen’s plan of action, it emphasised that implementation is what truly matters.
“The core issue is that every element of the plan announced today was already possible without a state of disaster,” it said.
“It is also consistent with the recommendations that successive ministerial task teams have proposed since 2016.”
“The steps the Minister announced today have, therefore, been recommended and possible since 2021.”
This article has been amended
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