Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
As foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) continues to wreak economic devastation on South Africa’s cattle industry, some hope for relief is emerging from research conducted at the University of Pretoria (UP).
The latest research findings from the university’s Faculty of Veterinary Science offer conclusive scientific evidence that a change in the current FMD controlled slaughter regulations for cattle could help alleviate the economic destruction caused by the disease – without in any way compromising efforts to curb its spread.
READ MORE: The Section 10 draft scheme is available for comment.
A swift response to the findings from the authorities responsible for the slaughter regulations could help stem the losses of an industry bleeding jobs and revenue, according to Prof Armanda Bastos, director of the Hans Hoheisen research centre at UP’s Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases.
“The situation is dire, and the regulations are not keeping pace with the additional risk mitigation processes we are using. The FMD controlled slaughter regulations should be changed as soon as possible based on science on the serotypes that occur in South Africa,” said Prof Bastos, a molecular biologist and epidemiologist, who delivered the 37th UP Expert Lecture at the university’s Future Africa Campus.
Sitting in the front row of the packed auditorium was John Steenhuisen, minister of agriculture. A number of officials from the National Department of Agriculture also attended, along with members of organised agriculture, the livestock industry and other interested stakeholders.
Formidable foe in a new form
Prof Bastos outlined her research findings in a lecture titled “Foot-and-mouth disease: a familiar foe in formidable new form”, which was a reference to the scale of the current unprecedented outbreaks of FMD, which has spread to all nine provinces of South Africa.
The fifth quarter research project, so-called because it focusses on the part of the carcass (head, feet, offal and tongue) that must be discarded/treated when recovered cattle from FMD-infected premises are sent for controlled slaughter, commenced on the 25th of August 2025. Together with partners from the private and public sectors, 1 800 samples were collected from 90 cattle, sent for early slaughter at day 16 post day zero and analysed for the FMD virus. All 90 cattle had been infected with the virus, and were vaccinated seven to nine days later in order to identify day zero, which is defined as the day that the last animal was vaccinated or the day that the last animal showed clinical signs, whichever of the two comes last. Once a day zero has been identified, cattle may only be sent for slaughter at 15 days post day zero. The two-week waiting period is a risk mitigation measure to ensure that only fully recovered cattle are sent for slaughter.
No evidence of infectious FMD virus
The PCR tests performed on samples taken from these animals confirmed that the FMD virus was absent from the bone marrow. This is a significant finding because the current controlled slaughter regulations mandate deboning, which is expensive and difficult to carry out and represents a major cost and logistical burden for the industry.
No detectable virus was found in the spleen, kidneys and mesenteric lymph nodes which drain the intestines of the slaughtered animals. Although the PCR test was positive for one tongue and three lung samples, additional tests confirmed that the virus was not infectious.
“No infectious FMD was found in any of the samples that we tested,” she said, noting that these results showed it is unnecessary for slaughterhouses to carry out deboning, deglanding or to dispose of the tongue or offal when fully recovered cattle are sent for slaughter at day 16 post day zero, as regulations currently require.
A further proposal is to introduce one controlled slaughter phase instead of the current two. The single phase should be carried out between 16 days and three months after day zero has been declared.
In the next phase of the research, the focus will be on what are considered to be high-risk sites in the head where the virus has been shown to persist at low levels in cattle that become carriers.
A long road to recovery
Turning to the longer-term prognosis for combating FMD in South Africa, Prof Bastos said the road to recovery would be long. To regain its former FMD-free status, the country would need to vaccinate 80% of its 14 million cattle, representing a massive outlay of resources.
It would also be vital to dramatically increase laboratory capacity for post-vaccination monitoring, as this would add to an already overburdened diagnostic system. Other priorities are to protect FMD-free buffalo from ‘reverse infection’ by cattle, to address FMD in pigs and the slaughter regulations applied to them, and to consider establishing regional approaches to ensure the strategic allocation of vaccines to areas where they will have the greatest impact.
Most important of all are private-public partnerships (PPPs) that enable agile, rapid and decisive responses, Prof Bastos said. The fifth quarter research project has shown that by harnessing collective expertise and will, PPPs can deliver rapid results. “We need everyone on board and all hands-on deck, if we are going to beat FMD.” – Media release, University of Pretoria
