A silent but devastating plague is sweeping across South Africa's lush rural landscapes, pushing farmers to the brink of ruin. A widespread outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, now declared a national disaster, has infected herds in eight of the country's nine provinces, threatening livelihoods and crippling the agricultural sector.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the epicenter of the crisis and the heartland of South Africa's dairy industry, the verdant hills now mask a landscape of anxiety and loss. For farmers like Carol Houston, who runs a large commercial farm with her husband, the nightmare became a reality last month when their herd was infected.
"We received a call from our staff that 50 cows were showing signs of mastitis and were hobbling, struggling to walk," Houston recounted. Despite rigorous biosecurity measures, the virus breached their defenses. The impact was immediate and severe. "My milking herd's normal output dropped from 14,000 litres of milk per day to 9,000 within days of the outbreak," she said, noting that the family spent roughly $380 per cow on treatment.
The highly contagious virus, which causes painful blisters in the mouths and on the hooves of cloven-hoofed animals, leads to lameness and reduced productivity. While not harmful to humans, it is devastating for livestock.
Farmers are not only battling the disease on their land but also the fear of losing their markets entirely, as importing countries halt South African animal products. This economic threat compounds the frustration many feel towards the government's response.
"The problem is it's a catastrophe that could've been avoided," said Peter Griffin, a dejected dairy farmer with 44 years of experience. "The state has failed us." As a "controlled animal disease," the onus is on the government to lead control measures, but farmers report that roadblocks, movement restrictions, and farm-level disinfection points have been insufficient.
In response to the growing crisis, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has announced a long-term strategy to eradicate the disease within a decade. The plan includes mass vaccinations, starting in the worst-affected areas. However, farmers are growing impatient with delays.
"We were told we would have the vaccine in January, we haven't got the vaccine. We were told we would have the vaccine in February, we don't have vaccine. It's very frustrating," Houston stated.
The delays are especially perilous for small-scale farmers like Nompumelelo Ndlovu, who owns about 20 cattle. "My biggest fear is if the vaccine doesn't arrive on time, all my cattle will be at risk and that would be the end of my business," she said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa's declaration of a national disaster is intended to release emergency funds and accelerate vaccine imports, as South Africa lost its domestic vaccine production capacity over two decades ago due to a lack of investment. While a million vaccine doses are expected from Argentina soon, it represents only a fraction of the national herd of approximately 14 million animals.
"We are hoping that government will get this right in vaccinating the entire herd with speed," said Ntuthuko Shezi, head of investment company Livestock Wealth, drawing a parallel to the country's COVID-19 response. "If we could get it right with Covid-19, we surely can with this outbreak."
For now, as workers on Houston's farm meticulously check each cow for symptoms during milking, the hope is that swift action will arrive before more livelihoods are lost to the disease.
