Johannesburg – South Africa has resumed local production of Foot and Mouth Disease vaccines for the first time in more than two decades, a move expected to stabilise livestock health across the region and ease pressure on neighbouring countries such as Eswatini that trade in live animals and animal products with the South African market.
The first batch of 12 900 locally produced doses is set to reach farmers soon after the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, visited the ARC Onderstepoort Veterinary Research facility on Friday to witness the finalisation of production. The vaccines were handed over by Agricultural Research Council president and chief executive Dr Litha Magingxa following completion and registration by ARC scientists and technical experts.
“This milestone signals a shift from reactionary disease chasing to a proactive, science led war on FMD. The goal is to reclaim South Africa’s FMD free status from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), using locally produced vaccines through collaboration between government, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP),” the Ministry of Agriculture said.
The vaccine has been registered as a stock remedy under Act 36 of 1947 and meets required quality, safety and efficacy standards. Production had stopped in 2005 due to ageing technology and infrastructure that did not comply with international Good Manufacturing Practice requirements. After nearly 20 years of research and modernisation, the ARC has now produced its first batch using modern bioreactor technology.
Minister Steenhuisen said the ongoing outbreaks had taken a heavy toll on farmers.
“To our farmers who have watched their livelihoods disappear before their eyes, I hear you, and I feel the weight of this hardship with you. This has been a long, exhausting road, but I want you to know that help is not just coming; it is here.
“My Department and I will stop at nothing to ensure this disease is completely eradicated from our farms and communities. While the path to full recovery will take time, specifically through our focused ten year strategy, we are finally moving from defence to offence. Please do not lose faith; we are building a system that will protect your herds for generations to come,” he said.
ARC scientists produced the initial doses at pilot scale as proof of concept for newly developed virus strains and production technology. Research conducted between 2010 and 2018 focused on identifying candidate vaccine strains suitable for the Southern African Development Community region, adapting them for large scale bioreactor cultivation, testing their ability to provide protective immunity and determining vaccine potency and duration of immunity to guide field vaccination schedules.
The department said the process required strict compliance with biosafety, biosecurity, manufacturing and regulatory standards under the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act of 1947.
Initial distribution of the first batch will see 2 300 doses sent to the Free State, 2 600 to the Eastern Cape, 2 000 each to North West, Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. From March 2026, the ARC expects to supply 20 000 doses per week of monovalent SAT 1, SAT 2 or SAT 3 vaccines, increasing to 200 000 doses per week from 2027.
The Ministry also outlined its procurement strategy to secure vaccine supply while local production scales up.
“From the outset, it is important to clarify misinformation regarding vaccine imports by private companies. Minister Steenhuisen and the Department confirm they have no objection to the use of designated agents, such as Design Biologix for Argentina’s Biogénesis Bagó and Dunevax for Turkey’s Dollvet.
“The priority is the consistent arrival of vaccines, not the specific procurement channel. The Department maintains that claims proposing a vaccine free for all are short sighted and reckless and fly in the face of established international and local precedent for disease control.”
The department warned that illegally imported vaccines, already detected in KwaZulu Natal, pose serious risks. It said private sector players, industry bodies and veterinarians remain part of the coordinated response through structures such as the Ministerial Task Team and the FMD Industry Coordination Council.
To regain FMD free status with vaccination, South Africa must show at least 12 months without virus transmission, supported by controlled vaccination, surveillance, movement controls and verifiable coverage. Local virus strains have been sent to the Pirbright Institute in the United Kingdom for matching against circulating viruses, in line with WOAH laboratory agreements.
Through the Botswana Vaccine Institute, South Africa has already administered two million doses, with a further 700 000 expected by the end of February 2026 and monthly supplies planned through June. Additional deliveries include one million doses from Argentina’s Biogénesis Bagó, with five million more expected in March 2026, and 1.5 million doses from Turkey’s Dollvet due in the third week of February 2026 followed by another five million in March.
Discussion about this post