Mozambique reports 63% rise in animal disease outbreaks, with 25,000 cattle deaths in 2025

The number of animal disease outbreaks in Mozambique rose by 63% in 2025 to 542 cases, killing 25,000 cattle, the government said on Monday, ahead of the launch later this month of a vaccination campaign in high-risk areas. “Regarding animal health, during 2025, 542 outbreaks of animal diseases were reported, compared with 332 in the same period in 2024 (…) and recorded cattle deaths of around 24,929 caused by animal diseases,” government spokesperson Salim Valá said after the weekly Council of Ministers session in Maputo. According to Valá, the government has already imposed restrictions on the movement of livestock in affected areas, alongside strengthened epidemiological surveillance and systematic clinical inspections of animals.

He said a vaccination campaign would be launched on 29 April to immunise livestock in high-risk zones. The vaccination drive will target border areas between Tete province and Malawi and Zimbabwe, Manica and Zimbabwe, Gaza and Zimbabwe, and Maputo and South Africa, which are considered high-risk zones, Valá said. In the same statements, the Council of Ministers spokesperson said that during the 2025/2026 agricultural season, 58,101 hectares were affected by the fall armyworm pest, compared with 54,660 hectares in the previous season.

The government attributed the increase in affected areas to the expansion of planted land. “Despite the increase in the affected area, the data indicate that the loss rate fell from 23% in the 2024/2025 season to 13% in the 2025/2026 season. This development is associated with higher levels of rainfall, which limited the pest’s capacity to spread,” Valá explained.

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Mozambican livestock farmers called in February for a government-led livestock restocking programme after losing hundreds of animals to January floods, warning of an increased risk of hunger. Data from the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) indicate that during the current rainy season, which runs from October to April, 531,116 animals have died, including cattle, goats and poultry, while 316,267 hectares of farmland have been lost, affecting 371,320 farmers.

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