Local companies to be asked to make foot-and-mouth disease vaccines
Agricultural Research Council cannot meet demand, Minister of Agriculture tells Parliament
South Africa's Ministry of Agriculture has announced that private companies will be asked to manufacture foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines. FMD has been causing significant financial losses to the country's cattle industry. The ARC (Agricultural Research Council) currently produces an FMD vaccine, but it cannot keep up with the demand.
South Africa is home to an estimated 12-14 million cattle, and each animal should receive two annual FMD vaccinations, requiring around 25 million doses annually. Currently, 21 million doses have been imported or produced, with 11.5 million from Turkish company Dollvet and 9 million from Argentinian company Biogénesis Bagó. Half a million doses have been obtained from the Botswana Vaccine Institute, and the ARC has produced over half a million doses.
The minister noted that the vaccines from Turkey and Argentina cost approximately R45 each, while the charges for the ARC's vaccine were not disclosed. Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) CEO Jacob Modumo has been suspended amid allegations of profiting from the vaccine, as it was alleged that OBP bought FMD vaccines from Biogénesis at R45 and resold them for between R70 and R130.
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