The rapid spread of the disease - and the top-notch operations that have been hit - underscore mounting concerns about South Africa's capacity to rise to the challenge of biosecurity and is a hammer blow to the livestock sector.

A new foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak has been detected in the Free State, bringing a total of 270 cases spanning five provinces, the Department of Agriculture said.

The latest outbreak occurred on a commercial farm in Moqhaka Local Municipality in the Kroonstad state veterinary area, the department said late on Monday (15 July).

"Trace-back activities are ongoing to determine the source of the infection, while farms in the surrounding 10km radius are undergoing surveillance to determine the possible extent of the spread," it said.

"As of July 2025, a total of 270 FMD outbreaks have been reported across five provinces in South Africa. Of these, 249 outbreaks remain unresolved, while 21 have undergone resolution."

KwaZulu-Natal is the hotspot, with 191 reported outbreaks, of which 172 remain active. The Eastern Cape has also been hard hit, with 40 recorded outbreaks and 38 of them still active.

"Since May 2025 Gauteng has reported 32 outbreaks, North West has four open outbreaks,...