Illegal livestock movement hinders efforts

EFFORTS to control the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in KwaZulu-Natal are still being hampered by the illegal movement of livestock.

- THOBEKA NGEMA

This was highlighted during the Provincial FMD Indaba held in Durban on Thursday. KZN Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said clinical signs of the disease are evident in most KZN districts, with the exception of Ugu.

She said KZN has 180 FMD open outbreaks that remain unresolved.

“As of October 2025, there are 274 unresolved outbreaks across the province,” kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said.

Since the 2021 outbreak, rigorous vaccination campaigns began in 2022, vaccinating approximately 800000 cattle. KaMadlopha-Mthethwa emphasised that addressing the FMD situation requires a collective effort from all stakeholders.

“New outbreaks of FMD continue to emerge in different locations, all caused by the SAT2 FMD virus, which now appears to be present in a large area affecting communal, commercial, feedlot, dairy, and beef animals in KwaZulu-Natal.

“The same FMD SAT strain was disseminated by illegally moving animals via auctions, to a number of commercial farms and feedlots,” kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said.