The Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has announced the arrival of two million doses of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine in South Africa, marking a significant step in the country’s efforts to control the spread of the disease.
The vaccines, sourced from Dollvet in Turkey, represent the first tranche of a six million doses order secured through local agents Dunevax.
Distribution to provinces is expected to begin within the next few days.
Building on this progress, the Minister said an order for an additional five million doses from Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina has been placed with Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP).
He said the consignment of vaccines will arrive in the country in two batches, 3.5 million and 1.5 million doses, pending approval from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) under a Section 21 application.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Steenhuisen said the department has secured all matched vaccines currently available on the international market to ensure access to a steady supply.
“We will push forward to make sure that we achieve our goal – vaccinate the national herd to achieve World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) recognition of FMD-free status with vaccination. This will allow us to access international markets for South African red meat that have been closed for decades due to FMD,” Steenhuisen said.
Strategic vaccine allocation
In order to effectively manage the vaccine rollout, the Minister said the Department of Agriculture is implementing a scientific, targeted allocation strategy based on animal risk and population figures.
Under this approach, the latest batch of vaccines will be distributed as follows:
The Eastern Cape has been allocated 135 400 doses; Free State 182 400 doses; Gauteng 124 800 doses; KwaZulu Natal 192 000 doses; Mpumalanga 144 000 doses; North West 182 400 doses; Western Cape 150 000 doses; Northern Cape 100 000 doses; and Limpopo 150 000 doses.
Additional allocations have been set aside for key agricultural sectors to ensure the continuity of our food supply chain, including 100 000 doses for the dairy industry, 150 000 for feedlots, and 150 000 for the pig industry. A further 239 000 doses will be reserved for immediate emergency deployment where required.
The Minister said strengthened surveillance and faster reporting systems, which allows the department to capture data from provinces more quickly, are critical to these efforts.
“We continue to work closely with the private sector and industry bodies to ensure that our vaccination drive remains efficient and reaches every corner of our country,” Steenhuisen said.
Since February 2026, South Africa has received four million FMD vaccine doses, including 2.5 million from Biogénesis Bagó and 1.5 million from Dollvet.
This is in addition to the 2 million vaccine doses imported in the last quarter of 2025. This has ensured the vaccination of more than 2.1 million animals nationwide.
On 10 April 2026, Minister Steenhuisen officially announced the intention to publish the Routine Vaccination Scheme for Foot and Mouth Disease (RVS-FMD) under Section 10 of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act No. 35 of 1984).
The department said the deadline for comments was 17 April 2026, and the submissions that have been received are currently being evaluated and consolidated, following which the final scheme will be published.
Global context
FMD outbreaks remain a global concern and are not unique to South Africa. Recent cases have been reported in parts of Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region, including in Greece, China, Cyprus, Israel, and most recently Germany.
The SAT1 topotype 3 strain currently affecting South Africa has also been detected in several countries, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, and Syria between late 2025 and early 2026.