SA President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the declaration, along with a nationwide vaccination drive, during the 2026 State of the Nation Address on Thursday.
AgriSA says the outbreak carries serious economic and food security implications and requires coordinated national action, including urgent access to vaccines and expanded veterinary capacity. Chief Executive Johann Kotzé said the country cannot rely solely on local vaccine production at this stage, given the scale and urgency of the outbreaks.
“There is no chance that we would be able to manufacture specifically for the outbreaks that we have. We need to solve the issue as it is, and for that, we need outside vaccines coming into SA,” Kotzé said.
He added that a centralised vaccination framework is necessary to ensure uniformity across provinces and to avoid fragmented responses. “You need to centralise it, purely for the sake of having the same kind of framework throughout all the provinces.”
Kotzé said the scale of the outbreak requires additional veterinary support beyond that of government officials. AgriSA is calling for private veterinarians and trained animal health technicians to be formally integrated into the vaccination campaign to speed up the response and ensure effective control. “You need to bring in private vets, private people to help and assist with the outbreaks and help and assist with the vaccinations,” he said.
The agricultural sector has warned that prolonged disruptions linked to Foot-and-Mouth Disease could threaten livestock markets, exports, and rural livelihoods. The disease, which affects cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, spreads rapidly and carries high economic costs even though it is not dangerous to humans.
Government has yet to outline the full operational plan for the national vaccination drive, but the Department of Agriculture has indicated it will prioritise high‑risk provinces and farms located along disease‑control boundaries.
AgriSA says it will work with government to ensure that vaccine access, biosecurity measures and veterinary capacity are scaled up urgently to halt further spread of the disease.
–SABC/ChannelAfrica–
