South Africa meat-price growth at eight-year high on outbreak

South African meat prices rose at the fastest pace in nearly eight years in December as the country battles an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, adding to food-inflation pressures.

Read: SA to import vaccines to tackle foot-and-mouth disease

Meat prices in urban areas were 12.6% higher in December than a year earlier and were the fastest growing price component in the food-inflation basket, according to data published by the Pretoria-based Statistics South Africa on Wednesday. The increase was the highest since January 2018, when meat inflation reached 13.4%.

Read: State mismanagement drives worst foot-and-mouth crisis in SA history

The continent’s biggest beef producer has been battling to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease since at least 2021 due to vaccine shortages and uncontrolled animal movements. The disease that primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals, causing blisters and sores in their mouths and feet, spread rapidly in 2025, forcing major feedlots into quarantine and halting live cattle auctions.

Read: Foot-and-mouth disease hits Limpopo

Beef is leading the surge in meat inflation, while annual price growth of mutton and pork also quickened in December, according to the statistics office. A year ago, meat prices were still falling on an annual basis.

Read: Foot-and-mouth crisis triggers SA’s biggest ever cattle vaccination

South Africa plans to import vaccines from Argentina, Turkey and Botswana in a bid to contain foot-and-mouth disease, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said last week. He said he would ask Cabinet to declare the outbreak a national state of disaster and outlined a 10-year plan to combat the illness.

Read: South Africa to vaccinate all cattle against foot-and-mouth disease

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