THE FUSE

Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has confirmed that the first batch of one million high potency Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine doses from Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina will arrive in South Africa this weekend. This delivery forms part of a broader agreement that will see an additional five million doses land in March. The vaccines are central to the Department of Agriculture’s revised national strategy to contain and eliminate Foot and Mouth Disease. South Africa has a national herd of more than 14 million cattle, and the plan now focuses on proactive mass vaccination. The goal is clear. The country must transition to FMD Free Status with Vaccination to stabilise the livestock industry and protect export markets.