Intense Rollout of Foot and Mouth Vaccines

Statement by Beyers Smit MP – DA Member on the Agriculture Portfolio Committee:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the intensifying rollout of vaccines to combat the spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) which has sprayed to all nine provinces in South Africa. Today DA Leader, and Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen participated in vaccine administration in KwaZulu-Natal, where FMD has had a severe financial and emotional impact on farmers, farm workers and the community at large.

This follows on from the arrival of 1 million vaccine doses in South Africa on Saturday last week — the largest bulk order of FMD vaccines received to date. Equally encouraging is the speed with which the 1 million doses received last week were dispatched to all provinces within just four days.

Rapid distribution is critical in an outbreak response, and ensuring vaccines reach frontline veterinary teams timeously is essential to limiting the spread of the disease and restoring confidence in South Africa’s livestock sector.

Furthermore we welcome the Minister’s stated commitment to import a further 12 million vaccine doses in the coming months.

This represents a necessary step and shows strong commitment towards strengthening South Africa’s disease control capacity and ensuring that the target of vaccination of 80% of the National herd by the end of 2026 is achieved.

It is, however, important to emphasise that while national government is responsible for procurement and coordination, the administration of vaccines on the ground is primarily a provincial competency in terms of Section 5 of the Constitution of South Africa. Provincial veterinary services therefore play a decisive role in the success of the vaccination campaign, including identification of priority areas, deployment of veterinary personnel, and the execution of vaccination programmes among affected and at-risk livestock populations.

The DA calls on all provincial departments of agriculture and veterinary services to urgently intensify on-the-ground vaccination efforts, ensure adequate staffing and logistical support, and work closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to maximise coverage and compliance.

An effective vaccination rollout, backed by clear coordination between national and provincial authorities, is essential not only to contain the current outbreaks but also to safeguard jobs, food security, and export market access for South African agriculture, and inevitably to ensure that South Africa achieves its ultimate objective of FMD free with vaccination status.

The DA will continue to monitor the pace of vaccine imports, distribution, and provincial rollout to ensure that commitments translate into real disease control outcomes that protect farmers and the broader agricultural value chain.