By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Department of Agriculture has on Monday, confirmed a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Kroonstad, in the Free State.
The latest outbreak was detected on July 10 at a commercial farm within Moqhaka Local Municipality,in Kroonstad State Veterinary area.
The department on Monday said stringent control measures have been implemented, including enhanced surveillance and vaccination exercises to curb any potential spread of the disease, in response to the crisis.
It said trace-back activities were currently underway to identify the source of the infection, with additional precautions taken to monitor farms within a 10-kilometre radius.
This proactive approach aims not only to safeguard the affected commercial farm but also to protect the surrounding agricultural ecosystem from a more extensive outbreak.
The outbreak in the Free State is part of a larger crisis affecting South Africa, where a staggering 270 FMD outbreaks have been reported across five provinces as of July.
“Eastern Cape has recorded 40 outbreaks, with 38 still open and two resolved. There have been no new reported cases in Eastern Cape since September 2024. KwaZulu-Natal has been the most affected province, with 191 reported outbreaks, of which 172 remain active and 19 have been resolved,” said the department.
“Since May 2025, Gauteng has reported 32 outbreaks, North West has four open outbreaks, while Mpumalanga has reported three outbreaks,” it added.
In late June, South Africa launched its FMD vaccination campaign, with over 900,000 jabs ordered and valued at over 70 million rand.