Steenhuisen confident in foot and mouth disease containment strategy

Minister John Steenhuisen briefs the media about foot and food disease containment strategy in Parliament, January 2026, 14.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has described the department’s strategy on foot and mouth disease containment as realistically achievable and technically sound.

The strategy targets vaccinating 80% of cattle in high-risk zones in communal areas and up to 100 % in feedlots and dairy cows.

Steenhuisen was addressing the media in Parliament. He says the current outbreak started in 2021 when animals moved from Phalaborwa to KwaZulu-Natal.

He says the Northern Cape is the only province that has not reported an outbreak.

“Vaccination is not a silver bullet to eradicate or manage this disease; it is merely one of the tools that can and must be used to combat foot and mouth disease. It is, however, no replacement for good on farm bio security, a greater adherence to movement controls as well as ensuring at a farm level that bio security is up to the correct standard.”