{"id":243675,"date":"2026-01-14T06:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/243675\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T06:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:16:08","slug":"talk-to-turkey-about-fmd-vaccines-now-sihlobo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/243675\/","title":{"rendered":"Talk To Turkey About FMD Vaccines Now \u2013 Sihlobo"},"content":{"rendered":"

The South African government must urgently negotiate with international suppliers of foot-and-mouth disease\u00a0(FMD)\u00a0vaccines, as the financial losses suffered by cattle farmers are increasing by the day, warns Wandile\u00a0Sihlobo, chief economist\u00a0at\u00a0Agbiz<\/a>. Meanwhile, it has been announced that John\u00a0Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, will host a media conference\u00a0today\u00a0(Wednesday\u00a014 January)\u00a0to shed light on the extremely worrying foot-and-mouth disease situation in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By Vida Booysen and Alani Janeke, senior journalists\u00a0at African Farming and Landbouweekblad<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Department of Agriculture<\/a>\u00a0should consider sourcing vaccines from a variety of suppliers and not rely primarily on Botswana, says\u00a0Sihlobo\u00a0in his latest weekly newsletter.\u00a0\u201cAnother supplier that has been highlighted by some in the industry is\u00a0Turkey. An agreement with\u00a0Turkey\u00a0to\u00a0determine\u00a0whether its vaccine can be exported in large volumes to South Africa is now essential.\u201d\u00a0Vaccinating the entire South African cattle herd is going to be a mammoth task. The sooner this is done, the less damage the disease will cause to the sustainability of the national herd, he warns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFew things are as urgent for the South African cattle industry as the need to vaccinate the cattle herd against foot-and-mouth disease. While most of the country was enjoying the December holidays, cattle farmers suffered huge financial losses and FMD continued to spread across various parts of the country. Numerous auctions were cancelled while farmers tried to limit the spread of the disease, but this resulted in significant financial losses for the cattle industry,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Sihlobo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sihlobo\u00a0admits the\u00a0Department of Agriculture\u00a0has a duty to ensure imported vaccines are approved with the necessary scientific care and guidance.\u00a0\u201cBut time is not on our side and farmers are suffering daily losses as the spread of the disease continues to hamper the industry. This forces the\u00a0department to move much faster with the approval of imported vaccines and to allow farmers to use them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also read:\u00a0FMD | Potentially dangerous vaccines still being smuggled in<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steenhuisen\u00a0speaks this week about the\u00a0state of affairs\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steenhuisen\u2019s conference will be held amid immense uncertainty in the red meat industry and among farmers about the state of the FMD situation, as well as the vaccine shortage currently being experienced. Information is expected on how the government\u2019s strategy to vaccinate the national herd against the disease is progressing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steenhuisen\u00a0announced in a statement that he will brief the media in Parliament on\u00a0today\u00a0at 10:00 on the status of FMD in the country, as well as outline the strategy and timelines to vaccinate the national herd\u00a0in order to\u00a0achieve FMD-free status with vaccination at the\u00a0World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Milk Producers\u2019\u00a0Organisation (MPO)<\/a>\u00a0said in a letter to its members last week that it is considering legal action against the government to obtain more clarity on the\u00a0state of affairs\u00a0and the steps that the organisation says are still outstanding.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also read:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

FMD | Vaccine shortage remains a major frustration<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

FMD |\u00a0\u2018No clear communication\u2019\u00a0from department on vaccine<\/a><\/p>\n

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