The nationwide effort to curb the spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) reached the Free State today (2/1), as Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen arrived in Bloemfontein to oversee and support the province’s mass vaccination rollout.
According to the Free State department of agriculture and rural development (DARD), the visit forms part of a coordinated national campaign aimed at protecting livestock and stabilising the agricultural sector amid ongoing concerns over the disease. The province has received an initial consignment of 2,000 FMD vaccine doses.
Minister Steenhuisen was joined by MEC Elzabe Rockman, head of department Tshepo Mabilo, and portfolio committee chairperson Zama Zigwebela at Be Human – Middelwater Farm. The day’s programme began with a technical briefing outlining the province’s progress and challenges in combating the disease, followed by a vaccination demonstration at Glen Agricultural College farm and a stakeholder engagement session.
The department said the vaccination process is being implemented in phases, prioritising high-risk areas before expanding to lower-risk zones. This rollout forms part of a broader national strategy, supported by the largest single consignment of FMD vaccines ever received in South Africa.
“Millions more doses of FMD vaccine have been procured and will soon arrive in the country soon. The vaccination process is strategically phased starting with mass vaccination in the highest-risk areas, thereafter, moving to lower-risk area,” the department added.
Compiled by Gypseenia Lion
