MANZINI – In a bid to control and end the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), Minister for Agriculture Mandla Tshawuka will table a request for mass vaccination of cattle at Cabinet today.
The minister revealed this during a meeting with livestock farmers and butchery meeting, which was held at Veterinary Services Offices in Manzini yesterday and it is estimated that this programme might cost the country about E63 million. This meeting follows one that was held by concerned livestock farmers and butchery owners on Thursday, where they called for mass vaccination of cattle in the Kingdom of Eswatini in order to control and end the outbreak of FMD.
He said stated that contributions from farmers are acceptable, but it will not be permissible for individuals to purchase vaccines themselves. He said FMD is an internationally controlled disease and as government, they are responsible for its management.
The minister reported that the first FMD case was recorded on May 12, 2025 and confirmed around May 20, 2025. Subsequently, he said they purchased vaccines from Botswana, where they found a long queue of countries which wanted to acquire the vaccine. He explained that they had to negotiate with South Africa to expedite the process and vaccination began around June 20, 2025.
He said they requested to work with the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) due to its faster procurement processes compared to those of government.
He said a total of 288 000 vaccines were procured. He also highlighted that recently, they returned to Botswana with the aim of adding more vaccine, only to find that the manufacturer had closed and would reopen mid-January 2026.
Minister Tshawuka stated that they initially believed they could control and eradicate FMD, but they were let down by the many factors, including stock theft. He said as a country, they wanted to retain their position as being free from FMD without vaccination to facilitate trade with other countries. On another note, the minister apologised for the delay in holding such an engagement. He stated that the first case of FMD was recorded in the Shiselweni Region and originated from South Africa. He said government purchased vaccines worth approximately E40 million from Botswana and started vaccinating cattle in Hlatikhulu, Shiselweni Region.
However, he noted that some individuals did not cooperate and many have been arrested for stock theft, which contributed to the disease’s spread. After vaccination, they managed to combat the disease, but a new infection emerged through Mambane.
Again, he said, livestock movement led to further spread. He said government bought another vaccine, but the disease managed to spread to three of the country’s four regions; Shiselweni, Lubombo and Manzini.
*…
FMD poses no human risk – ministry assures
MANZINI – The Ministry of Agriculture has allayed fears that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) can affect human beings.
The Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Sydney Simelane, said FMD does not affect human beings. He said FMD is a non-zoonotic disease that does not get transferred to human beings.
However, the ministry, said despite its non-human impact, there are reservations that all slaughtering should occur at abattoirs. He also said the meat should be eaten by people and dogs, not pigs.
On another note, the farmers and butchery owners complained that after the ministry said cattle from red zones can be slaughtered, but only at abattoirs, they were facing challenges with the police. They said the police stop them along the way, even when they have permits and also arrest them when transporting the meat from abattoirs.
In response to that, the ministry said it will engage abattoirs to issue documents that will state that the cattle have been slaughtered as an abattoir which they will produce to the police. Again, it said they have also written a communiqué about the same and sent it to the office of the national commissioner of police and regional commanders.
*Full article available in our publication
Leave a comment