By Emily Setona
HARRISMITH — Livestock farmers in Maluti-a-Phofung say the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak is pushing them to the brink, with stock losses mounting, vaccines scarce and strict movement controls strangling incomes.
Emerging farmer Sam Motaung from Makwane said the past weeks have been devastating.
“I lost all seven piglets. Their mother survived, but the animals are in pain,” he said.
“There is no cure — we just try to ease the pain so they can eat. Watching them suffer is unbearable.” Motaung said he has exhausted his limited funds on treatments, with little certainty of recovery.
“Today they look better, tomorrow they are worse. We need government intervention. I tried to isolate my cattle, but the disease still came.”
His concerns were echoed by Alison Oates, a Maluti-a-Phofung councillor and cattle farmer in Harrismith, whose farm was hit more than a month ago.
“We reported it immediately and the State Vet tested, but results are still pending. It’s obvious they had it,” she said.
Oates warned that once FMD strikes, containment is extremely difficult. “It may spread via wind, water, birds or game. Biosecurity helps only in areas not yet affected.”
While no adult cattle have died on her farm, she said calves face severe risks. “New-born calves often die from heart damage — sometimes months later.”
The biggest blow, she added, is the ban on sales.
“Not being able to sell cattle is a crisis on its own.” She also warned that under-reporting may be worsening the outbreak as farmers fear strict quarantine rules.
The Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said on 20 February that 25 new cases were recorded, bringing the provincial total to 370 outbreaks. Movement restrictions remain in a 10km radius of infected farms, and animals may not be moved without permits.
More than 2,300 vaccine doses have been administered in affected areas, including Harrismith, but farmers say supply is inadequate. Oates said she is still waiting. “I’ve been warned it will be a long wait.”
For small-scale farmers, the crisis is existential. “We don’t have money,” Motaung said. “We just keep trying to make them better. It’s very, very difficult.”
As FMD continues to spread, farmers are demanding faster vaccine rollout, practical on-the-ground support and decisive action to prevent further losses in the Free State’s livestock sector.
