Vaccine Shortages Trigger National Food Security Warning as Milk Farmers Blame Government Inaction

The Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO), a representative body of milk farmers and related industry actors, says South Africa’s Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak risks a national food security emergency and is not under control. According to the MPO the crisis has deepened because of government-level delays, unclear decision-making, and stalled regulatory approvals that are preventing the dairy industry from containing the spread of the disease.

KwaZulu-Natal, which houses approximately 220 000 dairy animals and produces close to 30% of the country’s milk, remains the epicentre of the outbreak. Although provincial authorities have co-operated with producers, the MPO says the situation is now critical, with limited vaccine stocks allowing only reactive, emergency-driven containment.

The organisation has written to Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen requesting an urgent meeting, but a response is still outstanding. Central to the problem is the unresolved approval of the Dollvet FMD vaccine import permit. Conflicting communication from government officials has created uncertainty, and without immediate approval, vaccine procurement for early 2026 will be delayed by at least a month.

The MPO also highlights a deeper systemic failure. South Africa has for a considerable period not submitted FMD field strains to the Pirbright Institute, despite its international obligations and responsibility to South Africa’s citizens. The Pirbright Institute is a specialist animal health research centre in the United Kingdom and houses the World Reference Laboratory for Foot and Mouth Disease, recognised jointly by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The failure to send strains has crippled global research collaboration, limited access to advanced diagnostics, hindered vaccine matching, and left the country dependent on a single vaccine supplier. The MPO argues this stands in direct conflict with government’s own contingency plans, which require ensuring “adequate supplies of suitable vaccine.”

The organisation says the pattern of delays and opaque processes raises troubling questions about transparency in vaccine procurement and government’s broader management of animal health. It has now instructed its attorneys to formally demand a national vaccine stock inventory, immediate approval of the Dollvet permit, and the urgent submission of field strains to Pirbright.

The MPO has also appealed directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa, warning that decisive intervention is now essential to protect rural livelihoods, stabilise livestock health, and secure the future of South Africa’s food production.