June 6, 2025 – South Africa is increasing vaccine stocks and expanding inoculations to combat a worsening foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, the Agriculture Ministry said. This comes after the country faces threats to its beef supplies due to the outbreak.
Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral infection that primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals but can also impact other species. In recent months, flare-ups have been reported in five of South Africa’s nine provinces, with KwaZulu-Natal experiencing the most severe impact.
This week, Karan Beef, which operates the country’s largest feedlot and one of the world’s biggest, reported an outbreak at its facility in Heidelberg. The quarantine imposed on the feedlot, which processes around 2,000 cattle daily, may affect beef supply.
The government has ordered over 900,000 doses of the foot-and-mouth disease vaccine. According to the agriculture ministry’s statement late Thursday, the first shipment is expected to arrive next week.
In the words of John Steenhuisen, “These plans are merely responding to outbreaks; they focus on developing permanent infrastructure to manage future risks.” He further added, “We are forming a Biosecurity Council uniting SAPS, veterinarians, scientists, Border Management, and industry stakeholders.”
Some cattle producers are increasingly urging the declaration of a "state of disaster" to safeguard the industry from financial losses. Declaring such a state under disaster law would grant the government enhanced authority to respond to the crisis.
The recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks have led to bans on South African beef and related products in key markets like China, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. To address this, South African government is taking various initiatives, including launching new vaccination drives.
According to Coherent Market Insights (CMI), the global foot and mouth disease market is poised to record a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period. Total industry size will likely expand from USD 3.15 Bn in 2025 to USD 5.66 Bn by 2032.
Rising incidence of foot and mouth disease, especially across regions like Africa is expected to provide a stimulus for market growth. Similarly, increasing vaccination drives, such as South Africa’s latest one, will boost sales growth.
“South Africa’s aggressive vaccination drive amid the latest foot-and-mouth disease outbreak underscores both the urgency of the crisis and the rising demand for effective veterinary vaccines,” said a senior analyst at Coherent Market Insights (CMI). “As outbreaks intensify across regions like Africa, the global market is expected to witness accelerated growth.”
Leading vaccine manufacturers are expected to increase their spending on research and development to introduce advanced vaccines with more efficacy and minimal side effects. This will help them to capitalize on emerging opportunities across disease-prone regions like Africa.
Source:
News Outlet: Reuters
