Foot-and-mouth disease restrictions lifted for Eastern Cape, Limpopo

Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has lifted foot and mouth disease management area restrictions in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo.

Steenhuisen decided to lift the disease management areas in the two provinces after intensified efforts by veterinary services were successful in containing the spread of the disease, a statement by Steenhuisen said. 

Steenhuisen said in an interview last week that he hoped this would ease supply constraints and bring down the price of meat.

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In the Kouga and Kou-Kamma municipalities in the Eastern Cape, restrictions had been in place since 26 July 2024 to support the control of foot and mouth disease outbreaks, during which livestock received 144,424 vaccinations, a statement from the Ministry read.

The last cases in the Eastern Cape were reported in September 2024. 

In Limpopo, the ban on moving livestock had been in place since September 2022 to control an outbreak traced to dip tanks in the Vhembe Municipality. Cattle at 34 dip tanks were vaccinated in two rounds, with a total of 23,024 vaccinations performed. 

“Following extensive serological surveillance conducted at the end of 2024, the department is satisfied that there is no evidence of the foot-and-mouth virus in the area,” the statement said. 

“Biosecurity is not just a farming concern, but a shared responsibility of every individual in South Africa. We call on all citizens, especially those interacting with livestock or moving between rural areas, to consistently adhere to all biosecurity measures. Only through our collective efforts can we safeguard our agricultural sector, make sure livelihoods are protected and ensure we keep our areas foot-and-mouth disease-free, the minister said. 

The department, however, said that 76 farms in the Eastern Cape remained under quarantine. Movement restrictions would stay in place on these farms until testing confirmed the absence of viral circulation. Testing would begin 12 months after livestock had been vaccinated. 

The lifting of the ban means that milk from quarantined farms can be released into the local market following a single, instead of double, pasteurisation, which is a requirement when the disease is still active in an area. 

Foot-and-mouth disease restrictions would, however, remain in place for parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the statement said. DM