Where Does South Africa's Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccination Programme

Meta Description: Where South Africa’s foot-and-mouth vaccination programme stands in October 2026: doses imported, animals vaccinated, outbreaks and private vaccination.

Last updated: 8 October 2026

Short Answer

The programme has moved from a state-run rollout to a mixed state and private effort. Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp said on 4 September 2026 that government and the private sector had imported more than 23 million vaccine doses, that every commercial dairy cow (over 1.38 million animals) had received a first dose, and that second-round boosters were being distributed. The most recent national count of animals vaccinated that we could find is just under 4.4 million as of 28 May 2026, so current national coverage is unconfirmed.

Key Takeaways

Outbreaks have been recorded in all nine provinces. The National FMD Reporting System showed 2,249 reported outbreak locations, 2,211 of them active, on 12 June 2026, according to Farmer’s Weekly.
Doses imported rose from 13.5 million in early June to more than 23 million by early September, according to the Minister.
Farmers can now apply to become Authorised Persons and vaccinate their own cattle; more than 1,000 had registered by early September, according to SAnews.
Vaccine supply and farm biosecurity remain pressure points, according to the Free State department.

How the Rollout Began

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Agriculture was told on 23 February 2026 that 1 million doses would be spread across the nine provinces and that plans aimed to vaccinate a national herd of more than 14 million cattle. At a committee meeting on 3 March 2026, the Department of Agriculture put the national cattle population at over 12.4 million, and then-Minister John Steenhuisen set a target of vaccinating about 80% of the national herd by December. Herd estimates differ between sources.

On 17 April 2026, SAnews reported Mr Steenhuisen as saying provinces had vaccinated 2,033,289 animals between February and 26 March, with 1,317 outbreaks recorded as at 10 April. He attributed part of the rise in cases to better surveillance.

Doses and Animals Vaccinated: The Numbers So Far

Doses and animals are different measures, so do not read them as the same thing. The dated figures we found were:

1 June 2026: just under 4.4 million animals vaccinated by 28 May and 13.5 million doses procured, with almost R500 million spent, according to Mr Steenhuisen’s briefing as reported by Business Day and EWN.
4 September 2026: over 23 million doses imported by government and the private sector, according to Mr Aucamp, as reported by SAnews.
4 August 2026: 1,438,393 cattle vaccinated in the Free State, according to the provincial department.
20 August 2026: 1,315,401 animals vaccinated in the North West, above 80% of a provincial target herd of 1.4 million, according to the provincial department.

Neither SAnews nor BusinessTech (7 September 2026) says how many of the 23 million doses have been administered, so treat it as supply, not coverage.

Where the Disease Stands

Farmer’s Weekly reported on 12 June 2026, citing the National FMD Reporting System, 2,249 reported outbreak locations, of which 2,211 were active. The largest provincial counts were the Free State (591), the North West (358) and KwaZulu-Natal (336). We did not find a more recent national total.

Provincial updates show mixed progress. The North West reported 479 confirmed cases across its districts as of 14 August 2026, with 333 active and 146 closed, and SAnews and The Witness reported its first full week without a new case since December 2025 in early September. The Free State reported 739 confirmed cases on 4 August, with 247 still active and under quarantine. SABC News reported, without a date, that Mr Aucamp told an Agri Limpopo congress the spread is under control because of good vaccine supply. The Free State department said on 4 August that vaccine supplies remain limited and it was prioritising high-risk areas. These accounts may reflect different dates and provinces, but they do not fully match.

Private Vaccination and Local Production

Farmers vaccinating their own herds

BusinessTech reported that the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria granted an interim order in May 2026 allowing livestock owners to buy and administer vaccines, in a case brought by SAAI, Sakeliga and Free State Agriculture, and that a settlement in July 2026 ended the state’s monopoly. SAnews listed the steps for farmers: apply for approval as an Authorised Person on the FMD Reporting system, give notice of intent to vaccinate five days in advance (a period it said would change), buy the vaccine from the local state veterinarian, and report the vaccination within 14 days. Government Notice 7668 of 8 July 2026 requires suspected cases to be reported on the day they are identified, according to the Free State department.

The Agricultural Research Council vaccine

Business Day reported on 22 September 2026 that the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) produced its first locally made FMD vaccine in over 20 years in February 2026, with an initial target of 20,000 doses a week and a planned 200,000 a week in 2027. The ARC and its board agreed on 21 September to let qualifying private companies use its intellectual property under conditional licences. Mr Aucamp said implementation would take time. In October the ARC is due to send virus isolates to the Pirbright Institute in the United Kingdom for a second round of vaccine-matching tests.

Leadership Change

Engineering News reported on 17 June 2026 that Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis asked the President to replace Mr Steenhuisen with Mr Aucamp, saying his focus would include resolving the FMD legal proceedings. September reports describe Mr Aucamp as Agriculture Minister.

What We Still Do Not Know

The current national count of animals vaccinated and the share of the herd covered.
How many of the 23 million doses have been administered.
The current national number of active outbreaks.
Whether the December 2026 target of about 80% coverage will be met.
When private manufacture of the ARC vaccine will start.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many FMD vaccine doses has South Africa imported?

More than 23 million, according to Mr Aucamp on 4 September 2026.

How many animals have been vaccinated?

Just under 4.4 million by 28 May 2026 is the latest national figure we found. Provincial figures are higher in some provinces and later dates.

Can farmers vaccinate their own cattle?

Yes, once approved as an Authorised Person under the department’s process, according to SAnews.

Who is the Agriculture Minister?

Willie Aucamp, named in a June 2026 DA reshuffle to replace John Steenhuisen and described as Minister in September reports.

Is the outbreak over?

No. Provincial departments continued to report active cases in August 2026.

Official Department of Agriculture Website → Read the Source Report →

Sources

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Where Does South Africa’s Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccination Programme Stand?