Steenhuisen calls on provinces to speed up FMD vaccinations

[FILE] Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen is pictured at the fourth nationwide mass vaccination rollout campaign

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.

The remainder of this record-breaking shipment from Argentina is already en route and expected to arrive during the course of the week.

Steenhuisen calls all provincial departments to ensure that their top priority for the next few weeks must be to vaccinate as many animals as quickly as possible.

“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.”

In a statement that was released on Sunday, the Minister urges all farmers to protect their livestocks.

“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. Government cannot do this alone, every livestock owner has a responsibility to protect their animals through strict biosecurity measures, compliance with movement controls and full participation in vaccination and identification programmes. 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 Department of Agriculture is expected to deploy Animals Health Technicians across affected provinces, to strengthen frontline operations and expand vaccination capacity.

I can announce that the first batch of a 3.5 million dose consignment of Biogénesis Bagó Foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccines arrived on Sunday, and we call on all provincial departments to ensure their top priority for the next few weeks must be to vaccinate as many animals as… pic.twitter.com/IfKX1Ej4Lg

— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) May 24, 2026