South Africa warns of rising foot-and-mouth cases in wildlife

Résumé détaillé

As cattle farmers continue to reel from one of the worst outbreaks in the nation’s history.

South African authorities are raising concerns over new foot-and-mouth disease cases threatening the country’s livestock and game industries, as cattle farmers continue to reel from one of the worst outbreaks in the nation’s history.

The epidemic was declared a national disaster earlier this year and it has resulted in export bans and substantial losses for cattle farmers. A country-wide, state-sponsored vaccination drive is starting to take effect, but the disease now appears to be spreading to wildlife across several regions, officials at the Department of Agriculture told lawmakers on Tuesday.

The largest number of outbreaks in wildlife have been reported in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal in the country’s east and Limpopo in the north, near the iconic Kruger National Park — South Africa’s oldest game reserve. The disease occurs naturally in the wild and is present in Kruger’s buffalo herds. The officials said they have seen cases in Roan antelope, sable and kudu, as well as buffalo.

They told lawmakers that more than 14 million cattle — representing over 90% of the national herd — have been vaccinated this year. However, both national and provincial agriculture departments warned they can no longer sustain the financial burden of procuring vaccines.

The department estimates South Africa will need approximately 15 million vaccine doses per year going forward to keep the outbreak under control. It requested R1.3 billion ($79 million) from the National Treasury for the 2026/27 financial year.

In October’s midterm budget, Treasury announced that R423.4 million would be reprioritised within the Department of Agriculture for 2026/27, alongside a rollover of R183 million from the previous financial year, to support the ongoing vaccination campaign.

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