Foot-and-mouth disease: Animal transport crackdown imminent across SA

News 24

05-06-2025

• The government intends to implement new national rules on the movement of cloven-hoofed livestock.
• This is in response to the foot-out-mouth disease outbreaks in parts of the country.
• South Africa’s largest beef producer reported that it had discovered foot-and-mouth disease at its biggest feedlot in Gauteng.
• For more financial news, go to the News24 Business front page.

The government intends to implement stricter biosecurity measures for livestock with cloven hooves across the country to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

Dipepeneneng Serage, the deputy director-general of agricultural production, biosecurity, and natural resources at the Department of Agriculture, said that the department intends to prescribe control measures on cloven-hoofed livestock movement very soon.

“We will be issuing directives which will be about controlling any movement of livestock in the country.

“We have never done it before, but soon, next week latest, the minister will be gazetting directives which are provided for in the law,” he told News24 on Wednesday.

He clarified that this would not be a ban on the movement of cloven-hoofed livestock, but would introduce stricter control measures.

“It will control, so movement will be under supervision and after ensuring that the biosecurity measures are adhered to — only then may animals move,” he said.

Serage said that the intended control measures would apply nationally to animals with cloven hooves, such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and game.

Strict restrictions on the movement of livestock have already been in place in several provinces, including the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Since 2022, it has also been a national requirement for cloven-hoofed animals being transported to have a health declaration from the owner stating that the animals were healthy when they departed. Transported livestock must also be separated from the resident herd for 28 days after arriving at their destination.

The Animal Diseases Act gives the Minister of Agriculture, currently John Steenhuisen, the power to prescribe additional control measures for animal diseases or parasites.

These control measures can apply nationally or only to designated areas and introduce additional measures on a range of matters, including restrictions or controls on the slaughter, hunting, or catching of animals over, from, or to land where a controlled animal disease occurs.

Serage confirmed that foot-and-mouth disease is classified as a controlled animal disease.

On Tuesday, Karan Beef, South Africa’s largest beef producer, revealed that it had discovered foot-and-mouth disease in 2% of its cattle at its largest feedlot in Heidelberg, Gauteng.

The group quarantined its entire feedlot at the site and warned that production at the facility would be significantly reduced.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a virus that affects animals with cloven hooves such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and some game. It is not considered to be dangerous to humans.

Serage said the new measures are necessary because he claimed the disease had been spread by some farmers who “became reckless”.

“They were pushing profits. They were ignoring biosecurity rules, standards, and prescripts. That’s what causes food-and-mouth disease,” he said.

He said the disease has not been an issue for rural farmers and has presented itself on commercial farms.

“We use this as a last resort because farmers are just not playing ball,” said Serage.