THE FUSE

Minister John Steenhuisen recently spoke to Carte Blanche to detail South Africa’s strategy to contain the ongoing Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak. The government is taking a multi-pronged approach, focusing on vaccine supply, logistics, and public-private collaboration to stabilise the livestock sector. The country has relied on the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) for its imported vaccines, but production delays at BVI have prompted the government to diversify suppliers. Minister Steenhuisen confirmed that vaccines will now be sourced from multiple international suppliers, tested locally, and fast-tracked for emergency approval to ensure South Africa maintains a continuous stock.