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 the KwaZulu-Natal province. 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,” he said.

–SABC–