South Africa

The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has retracted a circular titled ‘Foot and Mouth Disease Movement Protocol for Live Animals and Game into and within North West Province’, which was released on 14 January.

South Africa’s pork industry is facing growing pressure as confirmed cases of both African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease in pigs trigger stricter biosecurity measures and renewed concerns over export viability.

Rolling bankruptcies in global vertical farming over the past five years have slowed the industry’s momentum but not its innovation. Instead, the collapse of several high-profile players has pushed operators and investors to shift focus from hype to viable economics.

Livestock industry leaders have expressed growing confidence in South Africa’s national foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) control strategy following the first meeting of the newly established FMD Industry Coordination Council on 21 January.

The organisers of the Bloem Show have taken the unprecedented step of excluding all cloven-hoofed animals from the 2026 event, citing ongoing foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks and the need to prevent the further spread in South Africa’s livestock industry.

South Africa’s fight against foot-and-mouth disease has entered a new phase, with the private sector taking on a more direct and formal role in vaccine supply and deployment.

British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) has announced it will close its manufacturing facility in Heidelberg, Gauteng, by the end of 2026, citing the rising illicit trade that has eroded the legal tobacco market and made continued local production unfeasible.

Just after lunch on Sunday, 18 January 2026, the messages started popping on forums that fires were raging between Bathurst and Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape.

Following Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s foot-and-mouth disease briefing on 14 January, agricultural organisation leaders are questioning government’s ability to follow through on the urgent vaccine rollout, arguing that greater private-sector involvement is needed to distribute and oversee supply.

Farmers and residents in Mpumalanga and Limpopo continue to be affected by disruptive rains that cause flooding, mudslides and damage to infrastructure and properties.

Renewed calls to declare foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) a national disaster are gaining momentum, with farmers and industry leaders warning that, without stronger state intervention, the outbreak could inflict lasting damage on livestock producers, rural livelihoods, and export markets.

At a media briefing in Cape Town on Wednesday, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen outlined a 10-year strategy to contain and recover from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). He said the objetcive was to restore South Africa’s FMD-free status, which the country lost in 2019.

The US House of Representatives has approved a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, temporarily easing trade disruption fears for sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa’s agriculture sector has welcomed the move, but the country’s beneficiary status remains uncertain.

Western Cape Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell will approach the provincial cabinet to motivate for a disaster classification as ongoing drought and wildfires continue to cause damage across the southern parts of the province.

Interest in agricultural careers among high school learners continues to grow. Several school principals spoke to Farmer’s Weekly about the matric results at their schools, indicating that pupils are increasingly looking to the agriculture sector for their future.

South African livestock producers are reporting a concerning increase in sudden calf deaths linked to a condition known as ‘tiger heart’. This post-mortem finding is increasingly associated with active foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks.

South Africa’s pork industry has been placed on heightened alert following the confirmation of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) case in a commercial piggery in the north-western Free State, with additional highly suspicious cases under investigation in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

The Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture (the department) has intensified its efforts to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), with Agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe launching a province-wide awareness and compliance campaign targeting farmers in rural communities.

As thousands of travellers return to South Africa this week after the festive season, the Border Management Authority has issued a strong warning about bringing agricultural products back into the country.

Catastrophic floods are predicted for the Mpumalanga Lowveld next week, with rainfall of between 500mm and 800mm forecast for the period from 9 to 14 January.