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The North West Department of Agriculture is set to vaccinate animals on farms in JB Marks Municipality after confirmed foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom.
Dr Langa Madyibi, director of Veterinary Services, says the first case was found during meat inspection on the slaughter line at a Madibeng abattoir. Laboratory tests confirmed SAT 2 and SAT 3 strains. The unslaughtered animals were returned to their farm of origin, a Ventersdorp feedlot, under a Red Cross permit. FMD was shortly after confirmed on a commercial production farm in Taaiboschbult, near Potchefstroom after which another case was confirmed in the same area on a nearby production farm. All the affected farms and the mentioned feedlot are under full quarantine.
The Veterinary Joint Operations Centre (VJOC) has been meeting regularly since the outbreaks, coordinating response and implementing a targeted containment and surveillance programme. This includes sampling farms within 10km of outbreak sites to detect any possible serological responses in animals that are not yet showing symptoms. Dr Madyibi says initial surveying of surrounding farms has been completed and the samples have been submitted to the laboratory. “We are now waiting to see whether there has been any spread to neighbouring farms. We have also begun sampling source farms that supply the affected feedlot, and that process is still ongoing.”
Dr Madyibi said abattoirs linked to outbreaks are treated differently from production farms. The affected facility, which slaughters only its own feedlot animals, wasn’t required to close. However, it remains non-operational due to ongoing procedures, including carcass maturation, deboning, disinfection, and safe disposal of condemned meat.
Vaccination at quarantined farms
Dr Madyibi explains that strict quarantine measures remain in place. No animals, products, or even manure may enter or leave affected farms. Most animals have now passed through the course of the disease, and vaccination is underway. The first 30 000 doses are being administered, starting with confirmed infection production farms. This aims to lower viral load and prevent further spread. He says vaccination began on July 4 and will continue in the coming weeks.
According to Dr Madyibi there is no set timeline between outbreak confirmation and vaccination as it depends heavily on logistics and containment measures. In this case, they focussed first on halting the spread of the disease, which took considerable time. Only after that were they able to move forward with the vaccination plan. He says vaccinated animals will be slaughtered under controlled conditions to help stabilise the local meat supply.
Veterinary teams also work under strict biosecurity protocols, including disinfecting tyres, boots, and equipment and observing a mandatory 3-day no-farm-visit interval between site visits. This careful approach is designed to prevent human-assisted transmission between farms under surveillance.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Dr Madyibi says FMD affects cloven-hoofed animals – cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and some wildlife. In adult cattle, it’s usually mild, showing vesicles or sores in the mouth (especially tongue and gums), between hooves, and around teats. When an animal is in the febrile stage of the disease, these sores become visible during inspection. Infected animals will have loss of appetite and drooling saliva from the mouth will be noticeable because of the disturbance due to the sores. Another common symptom is lameness, caused by the sores between the hooves.
While adult animals usually recover, FMD is more dangerous in calves, where the virus can affect the heart and cause death. He urges farmers who suspect an outbreak in their herds to report it to local state veterinary offices. State veterinarians and technicians will conduct follow-up investigations. He says farmers may also inform their private veterinarians, who are legally obligated under the Veterinary Council Regulations to report suspected FMD cases to the state.
Diagnosis involves collecting tissue samples from mouth lesions, or blister fluid and blood for antibody testing. In rare cases where blisters are still present, fluid from the blisters serves as an ideal sample. He says tissue samples provide more accurate virus identification.
Not all mouth or hoof lesions are due to FMD. Cattle may chew sharp objects or suffer from foot rot, which can appear similar but are distinguishable through veterinary inspection. Dr Madyibi adds that on farms with no new animals, FMD can spread via fomites – contaminated objects like vehicles, tools, clothing, or humans. Close farm proximity can also contribute to transmission via saliva-contaminated fomites.
A critical control strategy: Monitoring livestock movement
According to Dr Madyibi the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) has been activated, involving police, traffic officials, and agricultural industry representatives. A gazetted notice on animal gatherings, by the minister of agriculture guides biosecurity enforcement.
Auctions in the JB Marx municipal area continue under strict control. A key requirement for participation is the completion of owner declaration forms by farmers at the point of origin, on their farms, confirming animals being transported show no FMD symptoms. These forms are legally required and checked by law enforcement on public roads. At auction sites, officials inspect animals, disinfect trucks, and check for symptoms. After auctions, animals must be quarantined for 28 days and kept separate. Farmers must also declare this separation before moving animals again.
The department and farmer groups developed this standard declaration form now used province-wide and enforced alongside other movement documents. – Christal-Lize Muller, Plaas Media
For more information contact Dr Langa Madyibi at Lmadyibi@nwpg.gov.za
