Fixing South Africa's broken foot and mouth disease prevention system

SOUTH Africa's red meat industry is a cornerstone of the rural economy, particularly for emerging and communal livestock farmers.

- THULASIZWE MKHABELA

Yet, their aspirations - and the broader goals of inclusive growth outlined in the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP) - are persistently undermined by a recurring threat: foot and mouth disease (FMD).

Recent FMD outbreaks, most notably in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and parts of the Free State, have exposed the fragility of South Africa's disease control systems. The economic fallout is staggering. Export bans, movement restrictions, and culling have cost the country billions in trade revenue, while simultaneously crippling market access for smallholder producers. For emerging farmers, who are already navigating structural disadvantages in the meat value chain, the disruption is not just economic - it’s existential.

FMD is not a new disease in South Africa. Its reemergence in recent years points to a deeper issue: the slow erosion of our veterinary services, biose-curity infrastructure, and governance accountability. National and provincial departments of agriculture continue to operate in silos, under-resourced and under-coordinated. This has bred a patchwork approach to FMD prevention, leaving gaps that the virus exploits.

Broken Fences, Broken Systems