According to a statement from the Free State Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (the department), dated 19 July 2025, the origin of the outbreak was traced to a feedlot in one of the neighboring provinces.
This is the second confirmed case of FMD in the Free State this month, following an outbreak confirmed on 10 July on a commercial farm in the Moqhaka Local Municipality, located in the Kroonstad State Veterinary area.
READ Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak confirmed on Free State commercial farm
Free State Agriculture President Francois Wilken has called on the province’s authorities to take proactive measures to prevent any further spread of the disease.
“We urgently call on the relevant official bodies to put special effort into the monitoring of the road network in the province and act upon any person or persons transporting livestock without the support of legally required documentation. This is of the utmost importance to prevent the further spread of the disease,” he said.
Meanwhile, the department said the affected farm in Deneysville had been quarantined and all farms within a 10km radius notified and placed under precautionary quarantine until observation was complete. Vaccination of animals on the affected farm had also begun in an effort to stop the spread of the disease.
Regarding the FMD case in Kroonstad, the department said all infected and exposed cattle on the farm had been vaccinated, and officials were monitoring the area for further disease outbreaks.
The department called on farmers, auction houses, and speculators not to move cloven-hoofed animals and to adhere to strict biosecurity measures, including the disinfection of vehicles and equipment. In addition, new animals must be quarantined for 28 days before being added to existing herds.
Farmers, auction houses, and speculators were also asked to keep precise records of animal movements and visitors to farms.
The department added that where any symptoms were observed, such as excessive drooling, mouth lesions, or lameness, they must be reported immediately to the local office of the state veterinarian.
