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The private South African veterinary vaccine manufacturer, Design Biologix, has been appointed as the sole agent to import and support the deployment of the Argentine animal health company, Biogénesis Bagó’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine in South Africa.
This comes on the heels of an announcement by minister of agriculture, John Steenhuisen, on Wednesday that Biogénesis Bagó was one the companies approved by government to produce vaccines to combat the ongoing FMD crisis the country is facing. South African livestock farmers are buckling under widespread FMD transmission and outbreaks despite intensive containment measures. Currently, the Northern Cape is the only FMD-free province in the country.
So far, government and industry efforts have resulted in more than 950 000 cattle being vaccinated with imported vaccines as part of the ambitious strategy to achieve “FMD-free with vaccination” status – important for maintaining access to global export markets valued at billions of rands annually.
Partnering for health
This exclusive partnership between Design Biologix and Biogénesis Bagó, a globally respected veterinary vaccine manufacturer, will ensure a reliable supply of high-quality, strain-matched FMD vaccine that is urgently needed to supplement existing stocks and expand vaccination coverage not only in high-risk zones, but across the country.
Design Biologix will oversee importation, cold-chain logistics, regulatory compliance, and coordination with government to accelerate the rollout with extreme urgency. This development builds on a history of unprecedented cooperation between the private sector and government agencies.
In 2025, the government imported hundreds of thousands of doses of FMD vaccine from regional partners such as the Botswana Vaccine Institute, supported industry-led procurement efforts, and established an industry-government task team to strengthen animal disease response. Design Biologix’s role marks a historical evolution in this model – a private South African veterinary vaccine manufacturer working directly with an international manufacturer underpinned by strong regulatory oversight and aligned with national disease control priorities.
Underpinning the AAMP
This collaborative approach reflects the guiding principles of the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP), a strategic framework championed by government to drive public private partnerships that enhance competitiveness, food security, technological innovation, and inclusive growth across the agricultural sector. The AAMP emphasises leveraging private sector capacity to accelerate transformation, expand export market access, and strengthen resilience across the agricultural value chain.
“The AAMP envisions a globally competitive and inclusive agriculture sector built through shared investment, innovation and partnerships between government, industry and research institutions,” notes policy guidance drawn from this strategy.
Excited to support the cause
Karen Nel, owner of Design Biologix, says Design Biologix and Biogénesis Bagó look forward to working closely with the Department of Agriculture, provincial veterinary authorities, and industry stakeholders to ensure efficient vaccine delivery and to contribute meaningfully to controlling the FMD outbreak.
Design Biologix confirms that, pursuant to its formal appointment as the sole and exclusive representative of Biogénesis Bagó in South Africa, all communications, engagements, enquiries, representations, negotiations, and correspondence of any nature relating to Biogenesis Bago, its FMD vaccine, or its activities within South Africa will, with immediate effect, be channelled exclusively through Design Biologix.
This includes, but is not limited to, interactions with government departments, regulatory authorities, industry bodies, veterinary professionals, producers, distributors, media, and all other stakeholders. This single-channel communication framework is critical to ensure regulatory integrity, technical accuracy, coordinated stakeholder engagement and the disciplined execution of the national FMD control strategy. – Susan Marais, Plaas Media
