Zambia has suspended livestock import permits from South Africa with immediate effect.
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in South Africa continues to batter the country’s beef industry.
Principal public relations officer Benny Munyama said the Zambian ministry of fisheries and livestock has taken urgent steps to protect Zambia’s livestock sector.
“The ministry, through the veterinary services department, has, with immediate effect, suspended all livestock import permits from South Africa after the outbreak of FMD in that country,” said Munyama.
The veterinary services department, led by director Dr Charles Maseka, announced a series of precautionary measures.
These include the immediate suspension of the importation of all cloven-hoofed animals from South Africa.
The importation of livestock feeds, trophies, skins, hides and hooves from South Africa has also been halted.
In addition, the issuance of permits for the importation of cloven-hoofed animal products, including dairy products, has been suspended unless strict mitigation measures are undertaken in line with the terrestrial animal health code of the World Organisation for Animal Health.
Authorities have also suspended the issuance of permits for the transit of live cloven-hoofed animals from South Africa through Zambia, and all previously issued permits have been revoked with immediate effect.
“We inform members of the public, farmers, and all our stakeholders that these precautionary measures will be reviewed depending on the progression of the FMD outbreak situation in South Africa,” said Munyama.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a state of disaster to combat the spread of FMD, as the country grapples with one of its worst outbreaks in recent memory.
South Africa’s beef exports fell by 26% in 2025 despite growing global demand, partly due to China’s ban on South African red meat products as the country battles the disease.
The outbreak, which resurfaced in early 2025, has spread to seven of the nine provinces, raising concern among trading partners and the agricultural sector.
According to statistics from industry body Red Meat Industry Services, cited by Reuters, beef shipments to China dropped by 69% to 1,687 tonnes last year after Beijing imposed a ban in May.
In response, the government has announced plans to vaccinate 80% of the national herd, estimated at 12-million cattle.
On February 6, authorities rolled out the first FMD vaccine in 20 years in a bid to address shortages of inoculation doses.
South Africa is currently importing most of its FMD vaccines from Botswana, Türkiye and Argentina as it works to contain the outbreak and stabilise the livestock industry.
TimesLIVE
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