South Africa adopts new Foot and Mouth Disease control framework for livestock sector

SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa has introduced a new national framework for managing Foot-and-mouth disease that is designed to improve outbreak control, support livestock producers during recovery and protect agricultural trade, with the measures set to take effect after publication in the Government Gazette.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen announced the updated measures last week, describing them as a science-based approach to controlling one of the livestock industry’s most economically damaging animal diseases.

Once implemented, the framework will replace the 2019 FMD Contingency Plan and related amendments, creating a single national system that governs every stage of an outbreak from disease detection through to recovery.

Steenhuisen said the revised approach is intended to give farmers clearer procedures for disease outbreaks while maintaining effective controls to limit the virus’s spread.

Foot and Mouth Disease remains a major threat to livestock production because outbreaks can interrupt farming activities, restrict access to local and export markets and create significant financial challenges for producers and rural communities.

New trade and recovery provisions

Among the changes, the framework introduces risk-based pathways that allow certain trade activities to resume during quarantine, permitting livestock to be transported to designated FMD abattoirs 16 days after a farm has been declared clinically free of the disease, while slaughter at a wider range of facilities, including export-approved abattoirs, will be allowed after 42 days.

The revised rules also state that vaccinated animals that have never been infected with Foot and Mouth Disease and are not under quarantine will continue to be regarded as healthy and may be traded and moved under normal livestock regulations.

Steenhuisen said the government’s objective is to prevent disease transmission while allowing farmers to continue operating safely wherever conditions permit.

The framework also updates procedures for handling products such as feed, fodder, and manure, which will now be managed according to scientifically determined risk periods rather than automatically destroyed.

Affected livestock producers will have additional recovery options under the new system, including restocking with vaccinated animals or bringing in livestock from FMD-free areas rather than removing entire herds before quarantine restrictions are lifted.

Tailored measures for different farming systems

For the first time, the regulations include specific provisions for communal and peri-urban livestock systems, introducing approaches that take into account shared grazing land, multiple livestock owners and different animal movement patterns.

The measures also allow farms with suitable fencing to isolate infected sections instead of placing the entire property under quarantine, while the Department of Agriculture has introduced clearer veterinary procedures and processing timelines for livestock movement applications.

The framework was developed through consultations involving the Department of Agriculture, the Ministerial Task Team, the FMD Industry Coordination Council and veterinary specialists, and the department plans to review the effectiveness of the measures within 12 months of their implementation.

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