South Africa Launches Mass Cattle Vaccination to Contain Foot and Mouth Disease

South Africa has launched a mass vaccination campaign for cattle to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease threatening meat, dairy and livestock supplies as well as exports.

The outbreak intensified late last year and has spread rapidly across the country’s livestock industry. More than 297,000 cattle have been affected, while over 120,000 animals have been culled as farmers try to limit the spread of the disease.

The outbreak has raised concerns over possible meat shortages, job losses and revenue losses after countries including China and Zambia banned South African meat imports. Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen on Friday launched the vaccine rollout, with one million doses recently delivered from Turkey.

More vaccines are expected this weekend, but officials say the supply remains far below the doses needed to vaccinate nearly 12 million cattle. The government aims to vaccinate 80 percent of the national herd by December and reduce outbreaks by 70 percent.

KwaZulu-Natal province has been identified as the main hotspot, with more than 17,000 farms affected. The outbreak has been declared a national disaster, allowing the government to release emergency funds. The national treasury has allocated about 25 million dollars, mostly for vaccine procurement.

Farmers and meat producers say they are struggling after quarantining affected animals and suspending trade and exports amid limited vaccine supply. Veterinarian Dirk Verwoerd of Karan Beef said the disease is affecting production across the meat and dairy sector, with severe foot damage forcing the culling of hundreds of cattle for welfare reasons.