All cattle on Gauteng's dairy farms also received a second, booster vaccination, according to the department.
The vaccination process of cattle against foot and mouth disease in Fisantekraal, Cape Town on 15 February 2026. Picture: Gallo Images/Jaco Marais
Gauteng recorded a 96.34% decline in new Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks, according to the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD).
New cases fell from 166 between October 2025 and January 2026 to just six between June and August 2026.
The department said the drop followed the rollout of the Gauteng Provincial FMD Rapid Response Approach.
The programme was led by MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, and backed by the provincial government through extra field personnel, vaccination drives, and disease control measures.
MEC Ramokgopa welcomed the progress and thanked farmers and livestock keepers for cooperating with the response.
“A 96% reduction in new outbreaks is a significant achievement and shows that our collective efforts are working.”
However, Ramokgopa cautioned that the threat had not passed.
“We cannot afford to become complacent. FMD remains a serious threat, and we must maintain high vaccination coverage, strong biosecurity, and vigilant disease surveillance.”
Vaccination coverage exceeds target
According to GDARD, vaccination formed a central part of the response.
“Between February and August 2026, 542 577 animals were vaccinated across Gauteng, including cattle in feedlots, dairy farms, communal herds, and commercial beef herds,” the department revealed.
The department reported that 94% of the cattle herd outside feedlots had received an initial FMD vaccination.
This exceeded the 80% coverage generally targeted to build strong herd immunity, GDARD said.
All cattle on Gauteng’s dairy farms also received a second, booster vaccination, according to the department.
More than half of infected herds cleared
The province also made headway in recovering herds affected by the outbreak, GDARD said.
Of the 308 herds confirmed infected with FMD since April 2025, 176, or 57%, had been cleared of quarantine by August 2026 after clinical inspections found no evidence of circulating virus.
The department attributed the results to synchronised efforts.
“These results demonstrate the impact of a coordinated approach combining vaccination, surveillance, movement controls, biosecurity, and close cooperation between government and livestock farmers,” it said.
Farmers urged to stay vigilant
GDARD called on all livestock owners to keep practising strict biosecurity and to monitor their animals closely.
It also encouraged farmers to “immediately report any suspected cases of FMD to their local State Veterinarian”.
The department said the progress made so far was significant but not yet complete.
