WATCH: Steenhuisen seeks state of disaster for foot-and-mouth disease

By Thapelo Molefe

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen will ask cabinet to declare South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak a state of disaster, which he said would unlock additional powers, including law enforcement support, to curb animal movement and contain the spread.

KwaZulu-Natal remains the epicentre of the crisis and will be prioritised under a decade-long containment and eradication strategy.

Addressing a media briefing on Wednesday, Steenhuisen said KZN, alongside Gauteng, the Free State and North West, had borne the brunt of recurrent outbreaks since South Africa lost its FMD-free status in January 2019.

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The current wave of infections began in 2021 following the movement of animals from Phalaborwa to KZN, and has severely disrupted livestock production, trade and farmer livelihoods.

“The biggest challenge of KwaZulu-Natal is that the disease has