South Africa, Brazil Formalize FMD Eradication Deal

(MENAFN) South Africa has formalized a high-stakes agreement with Brazil aimed at eliminating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) by 2028, targeting critical areas such as vaccine provision, disease monitoring, diagnostics, and strengthened biosecurity systems.

The pact comes amid intensifying domestic backlash and legal challenges, with critics accusing the government of a “lethargic” response to the escalating animal health crisis.
During talks on Thursday with his Brazilian counterpart, Agriculture Minister Andre Carlos Alves de Paula, South African Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen sought to leverage Brazil’s decades-long success in combating the disease.

Brazil secured FMD-free status without vaccination from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on May 29, 2025—marking the culmination of a 64-year effort defined by strict policy enforcement and sustained intervention.

”By aligning with a nation that has successfully eliminated the disease, South Africa aims to achieve FMD-free status with vaccination, transforming biosecurity from a trade barrier into a bridge for economic growth,” Steenhuisen stated.

Under the newly approved 2026–2028 Action Plan, immediate and comprehensive implementation is required. South Africa is set to send veterinary and animal health specialists to Brazil during the week of May 19, 2026, for intensive knowledge-sharing. This will be followed by a domestic seminar featuring a senior Brazilian delegation of scientists and livestock experts to exchange insights on policy, innovation, and disease control strategies.

Brazil’s assistance will extend to key technical domains, including vaccination frameworks, post-vaccination surveillance, and field data validation. While reaffirming Brazil’s support, Minister De Paula issued a pointed warning: “Government must not abdicate its responsibility to be at the centre of the fight against FMD, as it is a notifiable disease and needs a regional approach.”

This partnership reinforces South Africa’s broader South-South cooperation strategy, following a recent high-level mission to Argentina. That engagement resulted in a separate 2026–2028 FMD work plan and critical agreements to stabilize vaccine supply chains.

So far, South Africa has obtained and distributed 2.5 million vaccine doses from Argentine manufacturer Biogénesis Bagó. These include one million doses of bivalent SAT-1 and SAT-2 vaccines, along with 1.5 million doses of trivalent SAT-1, SAT-2, and SAT-3 vaccines. Officials also inspected Argentine production sites, where an additional five million doses are prepared for export, pending regulatory clearance.

”Our immediate priority is to secure a stable and sufficient vaccine pipeline so that we can scale up vaccinations rapidly across the country,” Steenhuisen said following his Argentina visit, underscoring the urgency.

Despite these international developments, the government continues to face sharp criticism at home. Just days before the Brazil deal was announced, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria granted a reluctant postponement in a case brought by farming groups seeking permission for private sector involvement in vaccine procurement and distribution.

The court expressed clear dissatisfaction, imposing punitive costs on the government and ordering Steenhuisen to publish a mandatory vaccination framework by May 5. Judge Corrie van der Westhuizen criticized officials, stating they appeared to be “no longer considering it to be of such importance” despite the outbreak’s designation as a national emergency.

Industry groups have echoed these concerns. FMD Response SA, representing dairy, pork, and beef producers, warned that the government’s current “slow-motion” response risks triggering a nationwide agricultural crisis.

”South Africa’s 14 million cattle must be vaccinated within a six-to-eight-week window to create herd immunity in 80% of them and stop transmission,” argued FMD Response SA spokesperson Andrew Morphew, pointing to rapid, large-scale vaccination campaigns previously deployed in Brazil and Argentina.

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