South African dairy farmer Igsahn Felix poses at his farm in Humansdorp, on March 6, 2026. The highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease outbreak is spreading across South Africa. Farmers accuse the government of allowing the crisis to spiral out of control.
Pointing at a calf lying motionless in a green field in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, farmer Igsahn Felix let out a heavy sigh. “That one is not going to make it,” he said. Home to more than two head of cattle per person, the province is the beating heart of South Africa’s livestock industry.
But its endless expanses have been swept by panic since an outbreak of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease, which was declared a national disaster in February. The government in January rolled out a 10-year drive to vaccinate nearly 20 million cattle against the highly contagious and sometimes deadly viral infection. But farmers like Felix, who is based near the town of Humansdorp, accused the government of allowing the crisis to escalate until it had gone too far.
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Nearly 1,000 outbreaks have been reported in South Africa, affecting all of nine provinces. The disease has also been reported in neighbouring Botswana, Eswatini and Zimbabwe in recent months. On the side of a dirt road near Felix’s farm, a large signpost warned ominously: “Foot-and-mouth disease control area”.
A calf stands on top of a bail of hay at Igsahn Felix farm in Humansdorp, on March 6, 2026. Every passing vehicle had to be sprayed with a chemical solution to stop the spread of the virus, which can remain up to six months in cow dung. Of the 245 animals belonging to the farmers’ cooperative of which Felix is a member, 128 have fallen ill, and 14 did not survive. Foot-and-mouth causes fever and blisters near the hoof and in the mouth that prevent animals from feeding, as seen in the emaciated survivors.
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