By Thapelo Molefe
The Department of Agriculture has confirmed a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the Free State.
It said on Monday that the outbreak was confirmed on a commercial farm in the Moqhaka Local Municipality, which falls under the Kroonstad veterinary area.
“The affected property was placed under quarantine on 8 July 2025, and immediate control measures were implemented, including surveillance and vaccination,” said ministry spokesperson Joylene Van Wyk.
She said trace-back activities were ongoing to determine the source of the infection, while farms in the surrounding 10km radius were undergoing surveillance to determine the possible extent of the spread.
As of July, a total of 270 FMD outbreaks have been reported across five provinces. Of these, 249 outbreaks remain unresolved, while 21 have been resolved.
The Eastern Cape has recorded 40 outbreaks, with 38 still open and two resolved. There have been no new reported cases in the province since September 2024.
KwaZulu-Natal has been affected the most, with 191 reported outbreaks, of which 172 remain active and 19 have been resolved.
Since May, Gauteng has reported 32 outbreaks, the North West has four active outbreaks, and Mpumalanga has reported three.
The department corrected what it called an error in a Government Gazette notice that was recently published to repeal the previous notice.
“The names of certain areas that still fall under the Disease Management Area (DMA) were omitted. We sincerely apologise for any confusion caused,” it said.
The department has procured over 900,000 vaccine doses to cover the FMD outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal.
An abattoir in Vryheid has been designated for slaughtering animals under FMD restrictions, and a system is being implemented to assess farm-level biosecurity and tailored control measures.
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