South Africa Launches Digital FMD Self-Vaccination Portal as SADC Nations Unite Behind Regional Response Framework

South Africa has launched an online authorisation portal enabling livestock owners to self-vaccinate against foot-and-mouth disease, building herd-level traceability into a national campaign targeting 14 million cattle — while SADC nations simultaneously advance a coordinated regional framework recognising that FMD cannot be defeated by any single country acting alone.

South Africa’s Department of Agriculture has launched an online self-vaccination application portal allowing livestock owners to apply for authorisation to vaccinate their own animals against foot-and-mouth disease, in a move aimed at streamlining the country’s response to the disease. Approved owners and managers can use platforms offered by Red Meat Industry Services, the Southern African Agri Initiative, and Buffalo Analytics, with all data shared with the Department and uploaded to its central system.

Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp said the consolidated reporting will enable government to monitor progress of the vaccination programme and provide up-to-date information to WOAH when South Africa is in a position to apply for FMD-free status with vaccination once again.

The domestic digital push sits within a rapidly expanding regional framework. SADC countries are advancing a unified approach that strengthens diagnostics, vaccination programmes and coordinated response mechanisms, with a joint South Africa-Botswana action plan for 2026–2028 focusing on improved surveillance and targeted vaccination in high-risk areas.

South Africa Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has emphasised that FMD cannot be controlled in isolation, calling for the establishment of a SADC antigen bank to improve vaccine access during outbreaks and reduce reliance on lengthy international procurement systems. FAO is working with WOAH, the SADC Secretariat and the European Union to strengthen surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, vaccination strategies and regional coordination under the STOSAR II Programme.