South Africa has spent over R72 million on about 900 000 doses of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines since March this year.
The government is now focusing on manufacturing vaccines locally to respond more quickly to outbreaks and protect agricultural stakeholders from severe economic losses.
The Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC). The University of Pretoria and Onderstepoort Biological Products are leading a two-day Foot and Mouth Indaba.
The gathering aims to develop long-lasting solutions to prevent future outbreaks and reduce dependence on costly imports.
Karan Beef Counts the Cost of Outbreak
Karan Beef, one of South Africa’s largest beef producers, just reopened after the outbreak forced it to halt operations, resulting in heavy financial losses.
Speaking with SABC News, Dr Dirk Verwoerd, senior veterinarian at Karan Beef, said, “We closed all three feedlots for two months. That caused severe economic destruction.”
Verwoerd stressed that readily available and effective vaccines could have prevented the crisis. “You have to have strategic vaccines and enough of them,” he added.
The outbreak, which began in 2021, spread rapidly across several provinces, driving up demand for vaccines.
South Africa currently depends on imports from countries like Botswana, a situation that experts describe as unsustainable and expensive.
Progress in Vaccine Development
ARC President and CEO Dr Litha Magingxa confirmed that researchers are close to finalising a locally developed vaccine.
“South Africa has made great progress in vaccine development. We have a vaccine that’s now being registered, and we are finalising some of the remaining trials,” said Magingxa.
Call for Private Sector Support
The government has urged the private sector to provide stronger financial backing to speed up the production of locally manufactured vaccines.
How can South Africa’s agricultural sector ensure self-sufficiency in vaccine production to prevent future FMD crises?
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