Embattled agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has announced the arrival of another two million Dollvet foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines at OR Tambo International Airport, as the total number of cattle vaccinated across South Africa passes the 5.4 million mark.

Local bottling picks up pace

South Africa is also ramping up its own vaccine production. The Agriculture Research Council bottled 20 000 doses on Thursday, 12 June, and has begun bottling a further 20 000 before the end of June — bringing total local production for the month to 40 000 doses.

“It remains imperative that we continue with the provision of a consistent pipeline of vaccines in South Africa,” Steenhuisen said.

Free State leads the charge

The minister singled out the Free State for praise, noting that the province had vaccinated more than a million cattle by Wednesday, 11 June — one of the fastest provincial rollouts recorded during the current outbreak.

Steenhuisen called on all provinces to maintain or increase the pace, and urged feedlots to use their vaccine allocations to keep the economic supply chain moving.

Private sector plays a key role

The announcement comes at a time when the relationship between government and the private agricultural sector has been under strain. A leaked email from the minister’s office in early June — described by critics as dismissive of industry concerns — drew sharp condemnation from farming groups and opposition parties.

In his latest statement, Steenhuisen appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone, thanking private sector partners and veterinarians for working alongside the state to vaccinate at scale.

“The goal must remain to work together to vaccinate as many cattle as possible, as quickly as possible in order to end the current outbreak,” he said.

Meanwhile, the DA has requested President Cyril Ramaphosa replace Steenhuisen with Willie Aucamp, current Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and demote Steenhuisen to deputy minister of trade and industry. The President has not formally announced the Cabinet changes.

South Africa’s national cattle herd numbers roughly 14 million animals. Since the start of the FMD crisis, the country has imported more than 13.5 million vaccine doses, including what was at the time the largest single consignment in the country’s history — a 3.5 million-dose shipment from Argentine manufacturer Biogénesis Bagó that arrived in May.

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