South Africa’s fight against foot-and-mouth disease has entered a new phase, with the private sector taking on a more direct and formal role in vaccine supply and deployment.
In a recent interview with Farmer’s Weekly, Karen Nel, director and CEO of Design Biologix, a private South African veterinary vaccine manufacturer, confirmed that the company has been appointed as the sole agent to import and support the rollout of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine produced by Argentine animal health company Biogénesis Bagó.
This development follows Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen’s announcement last week that Biogénesis Bagó was among the companies approved by government to produce vaccines to help combat South Africa’s ongoing FMD crisis.
Livestock producers across the country are under severe pressure as the disease continues to spread, despite intensive containment measures. At present, the Northern Cape remains the only officially FMD-free province, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing animal health authorities and the industry.
To date, government and industry efforts have already seen more than 950 000 cattle vaccinated with imported vaccines as part of an ambitious strategy to become ‘FMD-free with vaccination’. This status is regarded as critical for maintaining access to international export markets worth billions of rands annually to South Africa’s red meat and livestock industries.
Partnering for animal health
The exclusive partnership between Design Biologix and Biogénesis Bagó is expected to strengthen vaccine availability at a time when demand far exceeds supply. Biogénesis Bagó is internationally recognised for its FMD vaccines, and the collaboration is aimed at ensuring a reliable flow of high-quality, strain-matched vaccines to supplement existing stocks.
According to Nel, the vaccine will not only support containment in high-risk and infected zones but also enable broader national vaccination coverage as authorities work to curb the further spread of the disease.
Design Biologix will take responsibility for importation, cold-chain logistics, regulatory compliance and coordination with government structures to fast-track deployment.
Nel stressed that the urgency of the current outbreak requires rapid yet carefully controlled execution to ensure vaccines reach the right areas while meeting all regulatory and biosecurity requirements.
This move builds on what has already been described as unprecedented cooperation between the state and industry. In 2025, government imported hundreds of thousands of FMD vaccine doses from regional partners, including the Botswana Vaccine Institute, while industry players supported additional procurement initiatives. An industry-government task team was also established to strengthen national disease response mechanisms.
The appointment of Design Biologix marks the next step in this model: a private South African manufacturer collaborating directly with an international vaccine producer, under strict regulatory oversight and in line with national disease control priorities.
Aligned with the AAMP
The partnership also reflects the principles of the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP), which promotes public-private collaboration to improve competitiveness, food security, innovation, and inclusive growth in agriculture.
Policy guidance underpinning the AAMP highlights the importance of leveraging private-sector capacity to accelerate transformation, protect export market access and build resilience across the agricultural value chain.
“The AAMP envisions a globally competitive and inclusive agriculture sector built through shared investment, innovation and partnerships between government, industry and research institutions,” the strategy notes.
Single channel for engagement
Nel said that Design Biologix and Biogénesis Bagó are committed to working closely with the Department of Agriculture, provincial veterinary services, and industry stakeholders to ensure efficient vaccine delivery and make a meaningful contribution to controlling the outbreak.
She confirmed that, following its formal appointment as the sole and exclusive representative of Biogénesis Bagó in South Africa, all communications and engagements regarding the FMD vaccine will be channelled exclusively through Design Biologix. This includes interactions with government departments, regulators, industry bodies, veterinarians, producers, distributors, and the media.
The company said this single-channel approach was critical to maintaining regulatory integrity, ensuring technical accuracy, coordinating stakeholders, and supporting disciplined execution of the national FMD control strategy.
South Africa’s FMD crisis continually tests the livestock industry’s resilience, and the deeper involvement of the private sector is increasingly being seen as a crucial pillar in restoring animal health and safeguarding the country’s agricultural economy.
