Southern African nations have been urged to forge a unified response to a foot and mouth disease outbreak that is devastating livestock herds, threatening rural livelihoods and disrupting regional trade across the bloc.
The warning came at a joint meeting of SADC ministers responsible for agriculture, food security, fisheries and aquaculture in Victoria Falls on Friday, where senior officials described the outbreak as one of several compounding crises now bearing down on the region’s food systems.
Angèle Makombo N’Tumba, SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, told ministers the scale of the threat demanded immediate and coordinated action.
“The recent foot and mouth disease outbreak has negatively impacted the livestock sector in the region,” she said. “Livestock contributes up to 40 percent of agricultural GDP and offers a key pathway out of poverty, especially for smallholder farmers.”
The disease has proved particularly damaging in communities heavily dependent on cattle production, she said, threatening household incomes and cross-border trade at a time when the region can least afford it.
A crisis already on the agenda in Pretoria
The severity of the outbreak had already forced the issue onto the agenda of the SADC Council of Ministers meeting in Pretoria in March, where member states were called upon to act.
“The council urged member states to accelerate a coordinated regional response through stronger cross-border surveillance systems, harmonised vaccination programmes, improved information sharing and resource mobilisation,” N’Tumba said.
More than 70 percent of SADC citizens depend on agriculture for food, employment and trade, she noted — meaning disruptions ripple far beyond the farm gate.
“We look to this meeting for decisive and coordinated action. Our people are counting on us to safeguard the resilience of our food systems and protect their livelihoods,” she said.
Multiple crises converging
The foot and mouth outbreak is not the only pressure on the region’s agriculture sector.
Excessive rainfall in several countries has destroyed crops, killed livestock and damaged critical infrastructure, while global supply chain disruptions linked to conflict in the Middle East have added further strain.
N’Tumba said SADC remained committed to building resilience against future shocks, but the tone of Friday’s meeting made clear that immediate threats were already overwhelming parts of the region.
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