By Chris McCullough

Farmers in South Africa that have already vaccinated their cattle for foot and mouth disease (FMD) are seeing them become reinfected with the disease, raising tensions in the agricultural industry.

The government’s vaccination programme has received regular criticism from farmers that it is not being implemented fast enough to protect their herds.

So far, only 2.1 million cattle, just 14% of the country’s 14 million cattle, have received their first vaccination.

The main issues voiced by farmers is the slow speed at which the government vaccination plan is being rolled out and the sourcing and distribution of vaccines. 

Reinfected after vaccination

Just recently two herds, that were already vaccinated with the Turkish-manufactured oil-based vaccine, have become reinfected with FMD sending alarm bells ringing among the farming community.

However, the general concern is not down to the vaccine being ineffective, but more so what is described as the poorly-run government vaccination programme, as these herds were reinfected by close herds that were not vaccinated at all.

One of those herds belongs to Tom Turner, who milks 1,350 cows near the town of Nottingham Road, in KwaZulu-Natal Province.

Using a private vet, Tom and his team vaccinated over 2,700 cattle on March 13, 2026 but by May 8, 2026, some cattle were showing typical FMD symptoms including teat blisters and mouth lesions.

Turner said: “All contiguous neighbours are beef farmers or smallholders. None of their cattle have been vaccinated and most are positive for FMD.”

This appears to be a common pattern across South Africa where some main herds have been vaccinated, but many smaller herds, which are described as being “full of FMD” have yet to be vaccinated for the first time.

South Africa

South Africa’s Department of Agriculture says it has now successfully imported eight million vaccine doses since late February.

The Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, says the vaccination programme is on track with the arrival of a further two million doses of vaccine from Turkey on May 12, 2026.

Minister Steenhuisen said: “With an additional five million doses expected to arrive shortly, South Africa’s total imported vaccine volume will rise to 13 million doses.

“This sends a clear signal of our determination to protect the national interest, defend our livestock industry, and win the war against FMD,” he said.

The department had set objectives to vaccinate 80% of the national herd, comprising approximately 14 million cattle, by the end of December 2026.

Critics say this rollout is too long and that realistically there is only a six- to eight-week window in which all cattle in the country must be vaccinated, in order to gain maximum protection and prevent reinfections.

Farmer group

The farmer-led lobby group, FMD Response SA, says that in order to control FMD, the national herd needs to be vaccinated twice a year, within tight, eight-week windows that build collective immunity before the virus can exploit the gaps.

A spokesperson said: “That means 14 million doses procured and ready before each window opens, not arriving gradually, ready, so vaccination can move fast across the country at the same time.

“Since the minister announced the national vaccination programme four months ago, South Africa has received approximately 3.8 million doses through the state's single centralised procurement channel.

“FMD is not controlled by vaccinating some animals some of the time. It is controlled by vaccinating enough animals, fast enough and at the same time, so the virus runs out of room to move.”

Dairy farms

Craig and Carol Houston run two separate dairy farms in KwaZulu-Natal at Mooi River with over 2,200 cattle on both.

They managed to source and purchase their own FMD vaccine early after cows started showing symptoms.

However, their cattle now require boosters and are concerned the State will not be able to send them supplies.

Carol said: “It is getting quite close to the time for us to boost the vaccinations and we are just worried that we won’t get the vaccine in time.

“We previously used the Turkish vaccine, but the state seems to have tied up with the Brazilian government to source its vaccines.

"However, that vaccine doesn’t have SAT 3 like the Turkish one does. Lots of pigs and beef cows seem to be still getting infected but now the dairy herds are starting to get infected again," she added.

The Houstons said that the government sends out information but they miss all the deadlines.

"We are awaiting the court ruling from the Sakeliga court case to see if we can purchase the vaccine ourselves.

“The State is receiving vaccines but there are big delays in getting them from the state vet and distribution,” she said.