South Africa’s dairy industry has experienced a less severe than anticipated drop in milk production despite the widespread outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) sweeping across the country, according to Fanie Ferreira, CEO of the Milk Producers Organisation (MPO).
In a recent interview, Ferreira noted that while the disease has heavily affected individual dairy animals — which are known to suffer severely from FMD — the overall impact on national milk supply has been contained so far. “We have actually thought that it would be more severe but we’ve seen in the last couple of months that the effect of it wasn’t that bad,” he said, adding that milk producers remain able to generate substantial volumes despite the challenges.
Ferreira attributed the relatively contained effect on production to the pattern of the outbreak, which spreads regionally from farm to farm rather than striking all producers simultaneously. Using KwaZulu-Natal as an example, he explained that the disease typically affects farmers for a period of six to eight weeks before animals begin to recover, likening it to a veld fire moving through different areas.
Vaccination described as ‘almost the only weapon’
Ferreira emphasised that vaccination is now critically important for safeguarding dairy farmers’ livelihoods. “Vaccination is absolutely critical at this stage. It’s almost the only weapon that we have,” he stated. While biosecurity measures are practised at a very high level across the dairy sector — and farmers are well-educated on their importance — biosecurity alone cannot always contain the disease.
He reported that approximately 2.5 million doses of vaccine have already entered the country, enabling the vaccination of about 600,000 animals in the South African dairy herd. Around 550,000 dairy animals still require vaccination. Ferreira expressed hope that additional vaccine supplies announced by the Minister of Agriculture over the weekend would allow the remaining dairy animals to be immunised as quickly as possible.
The government has set a target of vaccinating 80% of the national herd by December, with plans to import large consignments — including 5 million and 6 million doses — from countries such as Argentina and Turkey. Ferreira noted that roughly 28 million doses will ultimately be needed, as animals require two vaccinations before December, given an estimated 14 million cattle in South Africa.
He stressed the importance of resuming local vaccine production, pointing out that South Africa was previously self-sufficient in this area. Local manufacturing would improve reliability and reduce costs for both the dairy and broader livestock industries.
Significant economic costs for affected farms
The financial toll on individual farms remains substantial. Ferreira highlighted that a dairy farm can lose about R6,000 per animal in the first 40 to 45 days of an outbreak. For a typical farm milking 1,000 cows, this equates to roughly R6 million in losses during that initial period. These costs include veterinary expenses, medicines, and lost milk production, as infected dairy animals often develop mastitis leading to high somatic cell counts. Milk from such animals must be discarded until quality returns to acceptable levels.
Beyond immediate losses, longer-term impacts include higher calf mortality — particularly in animals aged zero to three months, which can die suddenly from heart complications — and losses among grown animals. These effects are expected to manifest more fully in the coming one to two years, placing further strain on farmers.
Ferreira pointed out that similar severe impacts are being felt in beef herds among neighbouring farmers.
Call for greater private sector involvement
To achieve long-term control and potential eradication of FMD, Ferreira advocated for broader inclusion of the private sector alongside government efforts. He welcomed recent opportunities for the MPO and other producer organisations to contribute directly to the fight against the disease and expressed hope that this collaboration would expand further.
“We hope that government will not see that as a threat but see that as a helpful tool,” he said, describing the response as a necessary multi-stakeholder effort.
Ferreira confirmed that biosecurity awareness is already high across the dairy sector, with farmers fully understanding the consequences of lapses. Education is rarely needed as most producers maintain rigorous standards.
The ongoing vaccination drive, supported by imports and partnerships, aims to stabilise the industry and protect both local milk supply and future export potential by reducing the disease’s economic burden on farms.