Cattle at the Karan Beef feedlot in Heidelberg on 23 June 2025. (Photo: Gallo Images / OJ Koloti) 
A new foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak has been detected in the Free State, bringing a total of 270 cases spanning five provinces, the Department of Agriculture said.
The latest outbreak occurred on a commercial farm in Moqhaka Local Municipality in the Kroonstad state veterinary area, the department said late on Monday (15 July).
“Trace-back activities are ongoing to determine the source of the infection, while farms in the surrounding 10km radius are undergoing surveillance to determine the possible extent of the spread,” it said.
“As of July 2025, a total of 270 FMD outbreaks have been reported across five provinces in South Africa. Of these, 249 outbreaks remain unresolved, while 21 have undergone resolution.”
KwaZulu-Natal is the hotspot, with 191 reported outbreaks, of which 172 remain active. The Eastern Cape has also been hard hit, with 40 recorded outbreaks and 38 of them still active.
“Since May 2025 Gauteng has reported 32 outbreaks, North West has four open outbreaks, while Mpumalanga has reported three outbreaks,” the department said.
The Gauteng outbreaks have included the world’s largest feedlot, operated by Karan Beef, a facility renowned for its strict measures on this front.
The rapid spread of the disease – and the top-notch operations that have been hit – underscore mounting concerns about South Africa’s capacity to rise to the challenge of biosecurity and is a hammer blow to the livestock sector.
There have also been concerns about potential shortages driving up beef prices, but agricultural economists maintain that the export bans triggered by the outbreaks will boost domestic supplies and possibly bring meat prices down. DM