MBABANE – Eswatini, South Africa and Mozambique have intensified regional cooperation in the fight against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and other transboundary animal diseases.
The coordinated effort was highlighted during a mass vaccination outreach exercise organised by South Africa’s Ministry of Agriculture as part of ongoing regional disease control measures.
South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, led the outreach exercise, while Eswatini was represented by Agriculture Minister Mandla Tshawuka. Mozambique was represented by Dr Abel Gonçalo Chilundo, Director of Veterinary Services in that country.
Addressing delegates and farmers during the exercise, Tshawuka said Eswatini was making significant progress in its vaccination campaign against FMD, adding that government remained committed to strengthening disease surveillance, movement controls and regional cooperation.
He said collaboration between neighbouring countries was critical because livestock diseases easily crossed borders through animal movement and trade.
“We are strengthening cooperation with neighbouring countries because disease outbreaks affect all of us.
“Regional collaboration is important in ensuring that vaccination campaigns, surveillance systems and movement controls are aligned,” Tshawuka said.
The minister noted that livestock farming remained an important pillar of Eswatini’s economy and rural livelihoods, making disease prevention a national priority.
He said government continued to invest in veterinary services and vaccination programmes to protect the country’s livestock sector and maintain export standards.
The regional engagement comes at a time when Eswatini is reviewing laws governing livestock vaccination following policy developments in South Africa, where authorities are considering allowing trained farmers to vaccinate their own livestock under strict veterinary supervision and biosecurity controls.
Government recently confirmed that it was studying the South African model as part of broader efforts to improve the efficiency of vaccination programmes while maintaining strict State oversight over controlled diseases such as FMD.
Speaking recently on the matter, Tshawuka said government was reviewing legislation that currently reserves vaccination responsibilities mainly for State veterinary services because of the risks associated with the disease.
“We are in the process of reviewing the laws that govern farmers to vaccinate their animals. Currently, it is only government that vaccinates because there are risks involved,” he said previously.
FMD is one of the world’s most contagious livestock diseases and affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. Although the disease rarely affects humans, it has devastating economic consequences due to restrictions on livestock movement and meat exports.
In Eswatini, outbreaks of the disease have continued to place pressure on veterinary authorities and farmers alike, particularly in cattle-rearing regions where communal grazing and cross-border livestock movement remain common.
The disease has also disrupted livestock trade, with some farmers in restricted zones unable to sell cattle freely for extended periods.
Farmer organisations have repeatedly raised concerns over the financial impact of movement restrictions and delays in vaccination interventions.
Eswatini National Agricultural Union Chief Executive Officer Tammy Dlamini previously warned that prolonged delays in vaccination were placing the industry under severe strain.
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