By Bizcommunity

The South African government will cover the full cost of vaccinating livestock against Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) as part of the country’s response to ongoing outbreaks, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen confirmed.

This means farmers will not be charged for vaccines administered through the national vaccination campaign.

Vaccines have already been distributed to provinces, and the rollout is underway, with hundreds of thousands of animals being vaccinated each week. The Department of Agriculture aims to vaccinate 80% of the national herd by December.

South Africa has received one million vaccine doses from Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina and 1.5 million doses from Dollvet in Türkiye. Additional shipments are expected in the coming weeks to sustain the campaign.

Steenhuisen thanked veterinary professionals and industry partners supporting the rollout.

“We would like to thank the state and private veterinarians who are on the frontline of the vaccination campaign, as well as industry organisations, particularly the Milk Producers’ Organisation, for their cooperation and support in helping to protect South Africa’s livestock sector,” he said.

Addressing misinformation around vaccine costs

The minister also warned against misinformation circulating about the cost of vaccines.

Recent claims from an agriculture lobby group have suggested the government is overpaying for vaccines by highlighting a R45 per-dose bulk supply price linked to the Dollvet shipment.

According to the Department of Agriculture, that figure represents only the supplier’s bulk delivery price to a cold-storage facility in South Africa.

Once vaccines arrive in the country, they must undergo quality checks, be stored under strict temperature conditions and distributed through provincial veterinary systems before reaching farms.

These processes include maintaining cold-chain logistics, managing inventory systems, operating secure storage facilities and coordinating distribution to vaccination teams across provinces.

Steenhuisen said suggestions that the state is profiting from vaccine procurement are incorrect.

“The vaccines are being procured and paid for by the state and administered free of charge to farmers,” he said. “No farmer is paying for these vaccines, and government is certainly not selling them.”

The department also rejected claims that it lacks the resources to fund the vaccination programme, saying funding has already been allocated to ensure sufficient vaccine supply.

FMD classified a national disaster

During the 2026 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa classified foot-and-mouth disease as a national disaster, highlighting the seriousness of the outbreak and the importance of coordinated action.

Steenhuisen said tackling the disease requires cooperation across the livestock sector.

“It is deeply unfortunate that, during a time of crisis, some individuals choose to spread disinformation and sow division,” he said. “The only way we will defeat this disease is through cooperation, science-based decision-making and a united effort across the sector.”

Farmers and industry stakeholders have been encouraged to follow the department’s official FMD WhatsApp updates channel for vaccination schedules and disease control information.