The Department of Agriculture has warned farmers of a new outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the Free State.
The department said in a statement on Monday that it had confirmed the outbreak on a commercial farm in the Moqhaka Local Municipality, in the Kroonstad State Veterinary area on 10 July.
“The affected property was placed under quarantine on 8 July, and immediate control measures were implemented, including surveillance and vaccination. Trace-back activities are ongoing to determine the source of the infection, while farms in the surrounding 10km radius are undergoing surveillance to determine the possible extent of the spread.”
According to the department, 270 foot and mouth disease outbreaks have been reported across five provinces as at July 2025. It said 249 of these recorded outbreaks remained unresolved, while 21 had undergone interventions.
“Eastern Cape has recorded 40 outbreaks, with 38 still open and two resolved. There have been no new reported cases in Eastern Cape since September 2024. KwaZulu-Natal has been the most affected province, with 191 reported outbreaks, of which 172 remain active and 19 have been resolved. Since May 2025, Gauteng has reported 32 outbreaks, North West has four open outbreaks, while Mpumalanga has reported three outbreaks,” the department said.
This comes after the department launched a nationwide vaccination campaign to combat the growing foot and mouth disease outbreak, which has significantly impacted Karan Beef, one of the country's largest beef producers, leading to a halt in operations and price shocks.
Announced by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen during a visit to Karan Beef in Heidelberg last month, the campaign involves vaccinating cattle at feedlots for the first time, with R72 million allocated for 900 000 vaccines sourced from the Botswana Vaccine Institute.
The highly contagious disease, causing fever and reduced productivity in cloven-hoofed animals, has prompted strict quarantine measures and movement restrictions, with the government aiming to reduce the viral load and enforce protocols to prevent the spread of infection.
