Foot and mouth disease: SA’s beef industry faces a fragile festive season

THE ongoing spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in South Africa has placed the country's beef industry at a crossroads.

- 

Despite significant progress in controlling the disease in 2024, new outbreaks in 2025 across provinces like KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, and Free State are threatening the industry's stability, export potential, and long-term growth prospects.

The timing could hardly be worse. Just as the South African red meat industry was gearing up for its festive-season peak - a crucial period when national demand for steaks, roasts and braai favourites surges - new cases of FMD have been confirmed at a feedlot in Gauteng and Free State, with a possible case under investigation in the Free State.

The progression of FMD outbreaks in South Africa from earlier in March to date shows a worsening picture, with outbreaks spreading beyond two provinces (KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape) in March to five provinces by August, including Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga, and Free State. The Department of Agriculture is currently addressing FMD by procuring imported vaccines from Botswana, with plans to establish local vaccine production

A shock to confidence and stability