Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks threaten SA beef and dairy sectors as losses mount

THE economic fallout from South Africa’s ongoing Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks is deepening, with export losses and production declines threatening the sustainability of the beef and dairy sectors, according to the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BEAP).

- YOGASHEN PILLAY

BFAP said a recently released initial assessment of the economic impact of FMD shows that more than R821 million in export revenue was lost during three major waves of the disease between 2019 and 2025. The organisation warned that, at the current trajectory, cumulative export losses could rise to as much as R2.6 billion by the end of 2026.

The scale of the outbreak has intensified significantly. BFAP noted that the previous 20-year high of 7 700 reported FMD cases in 2022 was far exceeded in 2025, when cases surged to 24 400. The estimates, it added, exclude the impact of other diseases affecting the beef sector, including tick-borne diseases, brucellosis and Rift Valley fever.