Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has dismissed claims that government is “making a profit” from Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines, saying that the State is procuring and administering the vaccines at no cost to farmers.
“No farmer is paying for these vaccines, and government is certainly not selling them,” Steenhuisen said.
The Minister confirmed that the South African Government will cover the full cost of vaccinating the national herd as part of the country’s response to recent FMD outbreaks.
“This means there will be no cost to farmers for vaccines administered as part of the national response to the FMD outbreaks,” he said.
In a statement on Thursday, Steenhuisen said vaccines have already been distributed to all provinces, with the national vaccination programme well underway.
READ | Minister launches mass FMD vaccination campaign
According to the department, hundreds of thousands of animals are being vaccinated each week, as the country works towards a target of vaccinating 80% of the national herd by December.
South Africa has so far received one million vaccine doses from Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina and 1.5 million doses from Dollvet in Türkiye, with additional consignments expected to arrive in the coming weeks to sustain the vaccination campaign.
Steenhuisen commended the veterinary professionals and industry partners assisting with the rollout, saying that their efforts are critical to protecting the country’s livestock sector and stabilising the agricultural economy.
“We would like to thank the State and private veterinarians, who are on the frontline of the vaccination campaign, as well as industry organisations, particularly the Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO), for their cooperation and support in helping to protect South Africa’s livestock sector,” he said.
As FMD remains a serious threat to the agricultural economy, the Minister called on stakeholders to exercise caution regarding misinformation circulating on social media and other platforms.
“FMD is everyone’s responsibility. It is critical that farmers and stakeholders verify information before sharing it. Misinformation during a biosecurity crisis can cause real damage to the sector,” he said.
Vaccine costs
The Minister also moved to set the record straight on vaccine costs.
This follows recent rumours spread by a certain agriculture lobby group, which has attempted to misrepresent the cost of the Dollvet vaccines being procured by government.
Steenhuisen said these claims focus on R45, which is the single quoted bulk supply price per dose, without recognising the broader logistical and operational requirements involved in a national vaccination programme of this scale.
According to the Minister, most agricultural organisations understand and appreciate this reality.
“The price that has been circulated publicly relates to the supplier’s bulk delivery price to an approved cold-storage facility in South Africa. In other words, it reflects the cost of producing the vaccine and transporting it internationally under cold-chain conditions to a designated facility within the country.
“However, the R45 price does not represent the full cost of getting a vaccine from that point into the national veterinary system and ultimately to farms across South Africa - a reality that would be no different if, as claimed, ‘private companies’ were responsible for importing and distributing it,” the Minister explained
Once vaccines arrive in the country, he said, they must still be received, quality-checked, stored under strict temperature control, managed through national inventory systems, and distributed through a network of provincial depots and veterinary teams.
“This includes maintaining the cold-chain, managing secure storage facilities, handling inventory management, and coordinating distribution to vaccination teams operating across multiple provinces.
“These are essential components of any large-scale animal health intervention. Without them, vaccines cannot be delivered safely or remain effective when they reach livestock in the field,” the Minister said.
He said government’s procurement cost reflects the full operational process required to move vaccines through the national veterinary distribution system, ensuring that doses are delivered safely and reliably to veterinarians administering the vaccination campaign.
The Minister also assured that government has enough resources to fund the vaccination programme.
“...The Department of Agriculture has allocated funding specifically for the procurement of vaccines and will continue to ensure that sufficient doses are available to sustain the vaccination campaign,” the Minister assured. – SAnews.gov.za
