Minister of Agriculture, Willie Aucamp, recently announced the official launch of the self-vaccination application portal for livestock owners.
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The Department of Agriculture has launched a new self-vaccination application portal that will allow livestock owners to obtain official authorisation to vaccinate their own animals against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), in a move aimed at strengthening South Africa's response to the disease.
Minister of Agriculture, Willie Aucamp, said the live online system would give farmers greater control in protecting their herds while helping to curb potential FMD outbreaks more quickly.
“This live system hands crucial control to farmers, allowing them to apply for official authorisation to vaccinate their own animals and curb potential FMD outbreaks faster than before,” he said.
Aucamp He said the launch marked the beginning of a broader effort to involve the private sector in combating the spread of FMD.
“This step is only the beginning and I can assure all stakeholders that the Department of Agriculture is committed to enabling the private sector to help tackle this FMD outbreak.”
Through the new system, cattle owners and managers can register on the FMD Reporting platform and follow a structured application process that complies with South Africa's biosecurity requirements, legal provisions, traceability measures and vaccination reporting obligations.
The process consists of three stages.
Firstly, livestock owners or managers must apply to become an "Authorised Person" through the FMD reporting system, enabling them to administer FMD vaccinations in accordance with the relevant legislation.
Once approved, they are required to notify the provincial director of veterinary services or the relevant state veterinarian at least five days before administering the vaccine. This notification can be submitted through the online portal or in writing.
After vaccinations have been completed, authorised persons must submit a vaccination report within 14 days, providing details of the vaccines used, the number and type of animals vaccinated, and the location where the vaccinations took place. These reports can also be submitted electronically or in writing.
Aucamp said farmers also have the option of using approved private-sector reporting platforms, including those operated by RMIS, SAAI and Buffalo Analytics, provided those systems have been approved by the Director of Animal Health.
“It should be noted that all the information received from any third-party system will be shared with the Department of Agriculture (DoA) and uploaded on its system,” Aucamp said.
“The onus is on the livestock owners and managers to check if their chosen system has been approved for use by the Director of Animal Health.”
According to Aucamp, the data collected through the reporting systems will help government monitor the progress of the national vaccination programme while supporting South Africa's efforts to regain international recognition for its animal health status.
“It will also enable us to efficiently provide up-to-date information on the success of South Africa’s vaccination programme to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) when we are in a position to apply to WOAH for FMD-Free status with vaccination once again.”
The minister also urged organised agricultural associations to work closely with approved vaccine importers to determine the number of vaccine doses required by their members, enabling suppliers to plan procurement and distribution more effectively.
He encouraged vaccine importers to engage with veterinarians to assess demand in different regions and ensure adequate vaccine availability.
Under the voluntary vaccination programme, farmers choosing to vaccinate their livestock will be responsible for purchasing the vaccines.
However, Aucamp said government would continue supplying vaccines to areas where new FMD outbreaks are detected and to farmers who cannot afford the cost of vaccination.
“The cost of the vaccines purchased in this voluntary vaccination rollout will be for the account of the farmers that do the voluntary vaccination of their cloven-hooved animals,” he said.
“The government will continue to provide vaccines to all areas where new outbreaks of FMD have been reported, as well as to those farmers that cannot afford to pay for the vaccines themselves.”
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