South African red meat gains access to Egypt amid foot-and-mouth disease challenges

South Africa’s red meat producers are set to benefit from new export opportunities to Egypt, as Pretoria and Cairo finalize the veterinary agreement, despite ongoing foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in the country.

South African red meat producers are set to gain access to Egypt after Pretoria and Cairo concluded negotiations on the veterinary certificate that will govern exports, according to a South African government statement. Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp said the deal clears the way for shipments once the final signatures are added, giving the sector a new outlet at a time when animal disease pressure has weighed on trade.

The agreement is particularly significant because South Africa has been managing one of its most serious foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in years. Government updates in late 2024 said outbreaks in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal were still being contained, with movement controls and disease-management areas used to limit spread. Earlier confirmations of cases in Humansdorp underscored how quickly the disease disrupted livestock flows and export confidence.

Aucamp said the Egyptian opening followed constructive engagement with veterinary authorities and fitted the government’s aims of growth and job creation. The ministry has also recently extended registration deadlines for farms and feedlots supplying the United Arab Emirates, signalling a broader effort to keep red meat trade channels open while compliance systems are tightened.

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