“One of the two confirmed cases is on a commercial farm, while the second case is in a communal grazing area along the border with North West,” the DARD said.
Movement restrictions incorporating a 10km radius from infected areas had been implemented, and the farms within this area had been notified and placed under quarantine. The DARD said it was prioritising vaccination on the infected farms and in communal areas.
A spokesperson for the DARD told Farmer’s Weekly that the vaccinations had already commenced.
“We are vaccinating all infected and exposed susceptible animals,” Moliehi Moeng, director of strategic communications and information services at the DARD, said. “Vaccination of the two confirmed cases will be concluded [on 14 August].”
Moeng could not provide further information about the source of these latest cases. “It is a new infection and we need to follow up on all leads,” she said.
The DARD urged all farmers, auctioneers, and speculators to adhere to protocols gazetted on 13 June 2025 and measures contained in the Animal Diseases Act (No. 35 of 1984).
These included movement restrictions of all cloven-hoofed animals, record-keeping to enable traceability, quarantining of new animals for 28 days prior to integration with existing herds, and biosecurity measures such as disinfection of vehicles and equipment.
“Report any suspected cases [animals showing excessive salivation, mouth lesions, or difficulty walking] immediately to the local state veterinary officer,” the DARD said.
In its most recent situation report, released on 31 July, the national Department of Agriculture said there were still 236 active outbreaks across the country out of a total of 255 recorded so far this year. Provinces that still had active cases were KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West, and the Free State.
Outbreaks in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape had been resolved, while the Northern Cape and Western Cape hadn’t reported any.
The initial two outbreaks in Free State had been linked to feedlots in Gauteng.
Farmer’s Weekly has been tracking rumours circulation via text message about new cases at a feedlot in Mpumalanga. Official sources have thus far neither confirmed nor denied them.
In response to the two new outbreaks in the province, Dr Jack Armour, operations manager at Free State Agriculture, called the news “disappointing”. He urged all farmers to do their part in containing the spread and managing their own risk.
“Farmer’s must ensure their own biosecurity,” he added.
