FMD detected on Free State pig farm

South Africa's pig industry is on high alert with the news that animals at a commercial piggery has tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease. Hanlie du Plessis reports.

- Hanlie du Plessis

South Africa's pork industry has been placed on heightened alert following the confirmation of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) case in a commercial piggery in the northwestern Free State, with additional highly suspicious cases under investigation in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). While the number of confirmed outbreaks remains limited, industry leaders warn that infection pressure across livestock systems is exceptionally high, requiring uncompromising biosecurity and close coordination across the value chain.

According to the South African Pork Producers' Organisation's (SAPPO) letter to its members on 6 January 2026, a single commercial piggery in the Free State tested positive for FMD.

The farm includes an onsite abattoir, which has since been granted interim FMD designation to allow controlled processing of positive carcasses under strict risk mitigation measures.

Responding to questions from Farmer's Weekly, Dr Thandi Chiappero, SAPPO's head of consumer assurance, confirmed that this remains the only laboratory-confirmed FMD case in a commercial piggery nationally at the time of writing.