South Africa’s vaccination campaign against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is gaining traction, with industry leaders acknowledging progress but stressing that significantly more doses are needed to protect the national herd. The update comes as Minister of Agriculture confirmed the government is covering the entire cost of the vaccination programme, according to the government website.
FMD Vaccine Distribution
Angus Williamson, Kwanalu vice president and Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO) KZN chairperson, provided an update on the provincial rollout, noting that some members in the Ugu and Harry Gwala Municipality districts have begun receiving the vaccine, including several dairies. The Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO) has been instrumental in facilitating the rollout, particularly in KZN.
Fanie Ferreira, CEO of the MPO, detailed the organisation’s extensive involvement. The MPO serves the interests of 880 dairy farmers nationwide, and its well-established communication structures ensure rapid information sharing. Ferreira confirmed that of the one million doses of the Biogénesis vaccine allocated to provinces, “in KZN, 200,000 doses of the vaccine were allocated and 90,000 of those doses were given through the MPO”.
Challenges and Concerns
Williamson raised concerns about the traceability of vaccinated animals. “Although they’re not tagging cattle, they have told us that they will tag them on the second round, which is at the dip tanks. We hope that this will actually happen because traceability is very important,” he said. The spread of FMD continues, and the current vaccine supply is insufficient. The amount of vaccine that is coming is very slow, with KZN only having 200,000 doses of the Argentinian vaccine, and approximately 1.4 million cattle in the province.
Here are some key statistics on the FMD vaccine rollout in KZN:
- 200,000 doses of the Argentinian vaccine allocated to KZN
- 90,000 doses distributed through the MPO
- 1.4 million cattle in KZN
- At least three million doses needed for cattle in KZN
As the rollout continues, industry leaders stress that more doses are needed to protect the national herd. The MPO has provided two vehicles with cooling boxes to transport vaccines from the Allerton lab to the veterinary practices serving the Harry Gwala Municipality.
