PRETORIA — The national drive to regain South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) free status is expected to reach the North West in the next phase of a mass vaccination rollout, after the Department of Agriculture confirmed the province remains among the areas affected by outbreaks.  

In a media statement dated 18 December 2025, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said government has adopted an “FMD Free with Vaccination” policy direction as part of a science-led plan aimed at restoring confidence in export markets and stabilising the country’s R80 billion livestock industry. 
 

The Department’s update outlines that FMD outbreaks were reported in North West from June 2025, starting in JB Marks Local Municipality, with additional outbreaks later confirmed in Kgetlengrivier, Madibeng, City of Matlosana and Kagisano/Molopo.  

A total of 50 outbreaks, mainly on beef farms and some informal holdings, were reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), according to the statement.   The Department added that one abattoir in North West was designated for controlled slaughter of FMD-positive and/or vaccinated cattle, while nine farms/feedlots were approved for controlled slaughter.  

The Department said the vaccination programme is being phased from highest-risk areas to lower-risk areas, with mass vaccination beginning in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in early February 2026, followed by Limpopo and Mpumalanga, and then North West and the Eastern Cape.  

The statement notes that the Botswana Vaccine Institute has indicated it can supply one million doses per month from mid-January 2026, to support vaccination in critical areas.  

The Department also pointed to upcoming measures to strengthen tracking of animals, including implementing a Livestock Identification and Traceability System (LITS) in the second week of January to help monitor movement of vaccinated animals through geo-location.  

Steenhuisen urged farmers, transporters and stakeholders to follow new protocols and maintain strict biosecurity, warning that achieving FMD freedom with vaccination will require sustained effort and “zero tolerance” for non-compliance with animal movement laws.  

-The VIP Team 

-Dept of Agriculture