KZN sets six-month target to vaccinate 2.4 million cattle population

Cattle on a farm.

KwaZulu-Natal has unveiled an ambitious plan to vaccinate its entire population of 2.4 million cattle against Foot and Mouth Disease within six months.

The outbreak in the province is critical, with a prevalence of 70 to 80%, which is causing severe disruptions in the agricultural sector and threatening livelihoods. Deputy chief state veterinarian in KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Cameron Kutwana, says the Department of Agriculture’s vaccination campaign has to be more aggressive than before.

“So, you can see our experience is 800 over four years, but now, within six months, we just need to cover the whole lot, which is 2.5 million, in the communal space as well as in the commercial space. We’ll allow our counterparts, our private veterinarians, to be assisting but facilitated and coordinated through the regulatory offices of the Department of Agriculture,” says Kutwana.

The department is expected to start its mass vaccination campaign in the first week of March, but Emma Niland, a dairy consultant and beef team lead at Intelact South Africa, says farmers are skeptical about the government meeting the deadline to supply the needed vaccines.

“The President’s announcement that the farmers are going to get vaccines is unfortunately not trusted by the farming community, since October, we have been told pretty much every week that vaccines will be arriving, and they have not. Every deadline and every promise have been broken so far, so farmers are not particularly hopeful that this one is going to materialise. As a beef farmer myself, I think we are going to be the last in the queue of getting vaccines,” Kutwana adds.

Watch 🎥 | Minister John Steenhuisen oversees the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination drive in the Western Cape, aimed at containing the #FMD outbreak and strengthening biosecurity to protect livestock and farmers.#StopFMD #ProtectingOurHerd #GovZAUpdates @GCISMedia… pic.twitter.com/IzriRsFULQ

— National Department of Agriculture (@DOAgov_ZA) February 15, 2026