Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen says access to foot-and-mouth disease vaccines must remain tightly controlled, as some farmers head to court seeking to use doses independently.

The Department of Agriculture was briefing the Portfolio committee on the roll out vaccines for the foot -and-mouth disease.

It says the outbreak is worsening, with cases now reported across all provinces and more than 900 infections confirmed. The Department says over 2.5 million vaccine doses have been secured and are being prioritised for high-risk areas, as authorities warn of a growing threat to livestock and the agricultural economy.

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Minister John Steenhuisen shared insights on the suppliers of South Africa’s Foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccines, emphasising government’s commitment to sourcing safe, high-potency vaccines through authorised channels to protect livestock, safeguard livelihoods,… pic.twitter.com/apr036yYtl

— National Department of Agriculture (@DOAgov_ZA) March 2, 2026

Steenhuisen says even registered or exempted vaccines may only be procured, distributed and used for foot-and-mouth disease control with written authorisation from the Director of Animal Health.

“There’s a very good reason for that, to ensure compatibility with local strains, as well as potency, cold chain compliance, traceability, biosecurity and proper reporting. These vaccines are not fully registered. Ideally, they would fall under Act 36, but this is an emergency procurement in a state of disaster,and we need a coordinated rollout at maximum scale.”

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