Government jumps for joy over 13,000 vaccines for 15 million cattle

The South African government has declared a turning point in its battle against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), celebrating the production of the first locally manufactured vaccines in over twenty years.

However, the fanfare attending the release of 12,900 doses has been met with scathing derision from opposition MPs and some agricultural bodies.

They characterise the “breakthrough” as statistically insignificant against a national cattle herd of nearly 15 million.

Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen visited the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) on February 6 to officially receive the batch, framing the event as a monumental success.

“This milestone signals a shift from reactionary disease chasing to a proactive, science-led War on FMD,” Steenhuisen declared, assuring farmers that “help is not just coming, it is here”.

Yet, for critics analysing the arithmetic of the crisis, the government’s celebration displays a disconnect from reality.

Dr. Wynand Boshoff, the Freedom Front Plus spokesperson for Agriculture, argued that the Minister’s jubilant announcement demonstrates a “profound lack of comprehension” regarding the scale of the emergency.

“The outcome is fewer than fourteen thousand vaccines for a national herd of more than fourteen million – and this is proudly announced!” Boshoff stated.

He noted that experts estimate 12 million cattle must be vaccinated to achieve the herd immunity required to stop the outbreak, making the current batch a drop in the ocean.

South African government’s response

In January 2026, Steenhuisen unveiled a 10-year FMD Vaccination Roadmap, which he says marks a shift from reactive “crisis chasing” to a proactive “War on FMD.”

The roadmap’s immediate goal is to reduce outbreak incidents by 70% within 12 months and eventually reclaim South Africa’s “FMD-free status with vaccination.”

There is a mass state vaccination programme. Rollout is phased by risk, starting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in February 2026, followed by Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

The implementation of the Livestock Identification and Traceability System (LITS) is set to track animal movements and vaccination status via real-time heat maps.

Meanwhile, Steenhuisen has centralised vaccine administration under the state to ensure international verification.

“Bureaucratic lethargy”

A sharp rebuke came from ActionSA MP Athol Trollip, who slammed the Department of Agriculture for what he termed “bureaucratic lethargy”.

In a wide-ranging interview with Newsday, Trollip dismantled the Minister’s rhetoric, arguing that declaring a “War on FMD” without the necessary supplies is an exercise in futility.

“To make a declaration of war, the very first thing you have to have is some ammunition, which is vaccines,” Trollip said. “War was declared. Not a shot has been fired”.

Trollip drew a stark distinction between the incentives of state officials and the desperation of farmers facing ruin.

He argued that Pretoria-based bureaucrats “have absolutely no skin in this fight” because they receive their salaries at the end of the month regardless of whether “one cow dies or 10,000 cattle die”.

Describing the visceral reality on the ground, Trollip painted a grim picture of the suffering the current shortage causes.

“If you’re a dairy farmer… and your cattle have got mastitis and their udders are bursting… the hoof walls have fallen off… and they are bellowing in pain,” Trollip said, asking, “Who is the most effective frontline soldier to fight in this war?”

The collapse of capacity

The controversy highlights the long-term collapse of South Africa’s veterinary sovereignty.

Until 2010, the country was largely self-sufficient in managing FMD, but ageing infrastructure and a shift in focus away from core maintenance led to a cessation of local production in 2005.

Trollip highlighted a severe lapse in governance, noting that R500 million previously allocated to upgrade the Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) facility allegedly went missing, leaving the country reliant on unreliable imports.

Boshoff echoed this sentiment, stating that “joyfully announcing” a small batch of vaccines glosses over the truth that the capacity to manufacture them existed decades ago and was allowed to rot.

“If the Minister… had wanted to take timely and decisive action, he would have blamed thirty years of incompetent governance,” said Boshoff.

“Instead, he is merely boasting that 12,900 doses are available three months ahead of schedule.”

Legal battles and centralisation

The shortage has fueled a legal rebellion. A coalition comprising Sakeliga and the Southern African Agri Institute (SAAI) has launched litigation to set aside the Minister’s prohibition on the administration of private sector vaccination.

They argue that the state’s “centralised monopsony” is irrational: the government cannot supply the market but refuses to let farmers import their own vaccines.

Trollip supports the call for decentralisation, proposing that vaccines be distributed to provincial cold chain facilities where private vets can administer them.

He argues that a farmer “knows his cattle by name or by colour or by sight” and is far better equipped to manage surveillance than a distant state official.

Steenhuisen has firmly rejected these calls, labelling the proposed private scheme “short-sighted and reckless.”

The government maintains that strict state control is the only way to verify data for the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and regain the country’s export status.

The ARC plans to scale production to 20,000 doses per week starting in March 2026, eventually aiming for 200,000 weekly doses by 2027.

To bridge the gap, the state has secured hundreds of thousands of imports from Botswana, Argentina, and Turkey.

However, for opposition leaders looking at the immediate crisis, these future promises offer little comfort.

As Trollip concluded, the sector faces devastation because “farmers and their livestock are dying for vaccines” while the government attempts to manage a war from behind a desk.