SA cattle virus response in ‘shambles’ says dairy firm

Restrictions placed on the dairy industry by the South African government to curb an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease places it at serious risk, said one of the country’s leading dairy companies.

World Organisation for Animal Health standards says that dairy products that have been properly sterilised are safe for trade and should not require foot-and-mouth?related conditions or certification, Clover SA said in a statement on Friday.

“However, current measures in place mean that vaccinated milk is being incorrectly treated and classified as infected milk,” said Johann Vorster, Chief Executive Officer at Clover. “The State has simply got it wrong, hasn’t done its homework, or is just bungling the situation. It’s a shambles.”

All nine of South Africa’s provinces are battling the highly contagious disease that causes blisters and sores in the mouths and feet of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. The government’s response includes export-certification requirements and restricting the movement of animals. Some auctions and major livestock shows have also been canceled.

The eradication measures for foot-and-mouth disease “are being wrongly conflated with dairy-processing standards,” Vorster said. “This is shutting down exports of products that are scientifically safe for human consumption.”

Although the foot-and-mouth virus can severely affect the health of cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals, and may even cause their death, it crosses the species barrier to humans with difficulty.

The consumption of dairy products such as pasteurised milk, long-life milk, yogurt, cheese and butter poses no risk to humans of being adversely affected by the virus Milk SA, the statutory body representing South Africa’s dairy industry, said in a statement on February 17.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen will on Saturday officially receive a shipment of one million foot-and-mouth vaccines from Argentina, with an additional five million doses scheduled to arrive in March. President Cyril Ramaphosa last week declared the outbreak a national disaster.

© 2026 Bloomberg

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