Steenhuisen lifts FMD disease management area restrictions in KZN
Steenhuisen lifts KZN disease management area, citing shifting outbreak patterns and easing pressure on affected farmers
The Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, has announced the formal lifting of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) restrictions within KwaZulu-Natal’s Disease Management Area (DMA).
The restrictions meant that there have been no livestock auctions for over a year at the Dundee sale yards, placing a burden on both commercial and small-scale farmers.
Andrew Adams of the Dundee and District Farmers Union welcomed the lifting, saying that farmers will again be able to ‘operate as normal’ once the announcement has been officially gazetted.
“Farmers have taken an incredible strain over the past year, with KwaZulu-Natal at the forefront of the battle against FMD.”
Control measures will remain in place – Steenhuisen
The DMA was first declared in 2021, placing strict movement controls on livestock in an effort to protect the national herd. However, the minister said the situation has since changed significantly.
“By 2026, the reality on the ground changed, with FMD outbreaks spreading to all districts across KwaZulu-Natal,” he explained.
Steenhuisen noted that data now show fewer outbreaks within the DMA than in areas outside it.
“We find ourselves in a position where there is more evidence of the virus circulating in the rest of the province than within the restricted management area itself,” he said.
“To continue with separate, localised rules for different parts of the same province has become scientifically and ethically difficult to justify. It is no longer fair to ask these specific farmers to carry a burden that is now a province-wide challenge.”
Steenhuisen stressed that lifting the DMA does not mean an end to control measures.
“Lifting the DMA does not mean we are dropping our guard. Instead, we are moving toward a more modern, unified approach,” he said.
A national movement control protocol for cloven-hoofed animals is being developed to ensure consistent standards across all provinces.
“By publishing this rescission in the Government Gazette, we will be allowing our KZN farmers to move forward under a single, clear set of rules that protects both their livelihoods and our national agricultural integrity,” Steenhuisen concluded.
