South Africa’s ongoing battle with foot-and-mouth disease is set to escalate to Cabinet level, with Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen confirming plans to seek a formal disaster declaration to strengthen the national response.
Speaking on Wednesday, 25 January 2026, Steenhuisen laid out a long-term approach to managing the outbreak, saying decisive action was needed to protect livestock and repair the country’s standing in global agricultural markets. He told the nation he would present a proposal at the next Cabinet meeting to have the outbreak officially declared a state of disaster.
Steenhuisen acknowledged the pressure farmers have been under since South Africa lost its foot-and-mouth disease–free status in 2019, describing the situation as one of the most difficult periods the sector has faced. He said appeals for assistance had come from across the farming spectrum, with both commercial and communal producers struggling to cope with repeated outbreaks.
He cautioned, however, that restoring full disease-free recognition would not be quick or simple, stressing that the process would take years rather than months. According to the minister, the plan is structured over a ten-year period, beginning with efforts to stabilise and contain the disease before moving into consolidation.
The strategy ultimately aims to phase out vaccination and secure international recognition of freedom from foot-and-mouth disease through vaccination from the World Organisation for Animal Health, as per Business Tech. Steenhuisen was clear that vaccines alone would not solve the problem, describing them as just one component of a broader control strategy.
Under the plan, vaccination campaigns will focus on high-risk areas, with authorities targeting coverage of at least 80% of cattle in those zones. High-potency vaccines will be used, including trivalent doses designed to address the SAT 1, SAT 2 and SAT 3 strains currently present in the country.
Declaring a state of disaster, Steenhuisen said, would remove obstacles that currently slow down response efforts. It would also allow for closer cooperation with law enforcement and traffic authorities to enforce animal movement controls more effectively.
The move follows pressure from groups such as the Freedom Front Plus and the Southern Africa Agri Initiative, both of which have argued that a disaster declaration is essential to protect farmers and limit economic damage. Saai has stressed that family farmers’ financial survival must be central to any intervention, while its CEO Francois Rossouw said such a declaration would allow for faster deployment of resources, equipment and personnel, as well as tighter controls through roadblocks, checkpoints and improved vaccination efforts.
The Freedom Front Plus has also backed the call, saying restoring South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease–free status is critical to reopening international markets and rebuilding the local vaccine manufacturing capacity. While welcoming Steenhuisen’s roadmap, the party warned that success would depend on execution, noting that many of the measures announced had been possible for years and had been recommended by previous task teams.
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