Fears that provincial foot-and-mouth intervention may be too late

Farmers in the Eastern Cape believe the provincial government’s R55m emergency funding to support the immediate response to the outbreak ofthe highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)may betoo late. Finance MEC Mlungisi Mvoko announced on Friday that he had authorised the allocation of R55m from the Provincial Revenue Fund to the agriculture department. This is to support urgent response measures, including the procurement of vaccines, disease control interventions and related operational costs.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his state of the nation address, declared the outbreak a national disaster, which was formally classified on February 13 by the head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC). The declaration enables the implementation of co-ordinated and integrated measures across all spheres of government to contain and mitigate the spread of the disease. Tabling the notice for emergency funding at the provincial legislature, Mvoko said it was necessary to protect the province’s livestock industry and rural economy.

“The rapid spread of foot-and-mouth disease poses a serious threat to our livestock industry, food security and the livelihoods of many rural communities in the Eastern Cape. “We could not afford to delay intervention,” he said. Mvoko said the allocation demonstrated the government’s commitment to dealing with the outbreak.

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The approved emergency funding will be incorporated into the 2026 budget documentation to be tabled in the provincial legislature in March. “Despite the fiscal pressures we face, the provincial treasury remains committed to ensuring that the government responds decisively to contain the spread ofFMDand to minimise its socioeconomic impact,” Mvoko said. In July 2025, agriculture minister John Steenhuisen lifted the disease management area (DMA) restrictions in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo after intensified efforts by veterinary services were successful in containing the spread of the disease in the two provinces.

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