In a significant development, the South African government has given the green light for the private sector to manufacture the Landbou Research Council's (LRC) foot-and-mouth disease vaccine. This move aims to increase the availability of the vaccine and protect the country's livestock sector. The LRC's vaccine offers effective protection against local foot-and-mouth disease strains and only needs to be administered once a year.
The decision was made after the LRC and its council accepted a proposal by Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp to involve qualifying private companies in the manufacture of the vaccine. The LRC currently lacks the manufacturing capacity to produce the vaccine on a large scale, despite its effectiveness. As a result, local and international companies will be granted access to the LRC's intellectual property through conditional license agreements to manufacture the vaccine.
Minister Aucamp emphasized that this collaboration with the private sector is a crucial breakthrough in protecting South Africa's livestock sector, strengthening national biosecurity, and securing food supply chains. The move comes in response to concerns and calls from farmers and other stakeholders to take urgent action against the current foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
The LRC will continue to expand its own manufacturing capacity for the foot-and-mouth disease vaccine. Any revenue generated from the license agreements will be used exclusively to further build this capacity. According to Aucamp, the implementation of this decision will not happen overnight but is a significant step forward in the fight against foot-and-mouth disease.
The LRC will send representative samples of the foot-and-mouth disease virus currently circulating in South Africa to the Pirbright Institute in the United Kingdom in October for a second round of vaccine matching tests. The goal is to conduct a further scientific assessment of the suitability of available local and imported vaccines against the viruses currently prevalent in South Africa.
The Department of Agriculture has assured that it will continue to work with commodity organizations, provincial veterinary services, the LRC, organized agriculture, and other stakeholders to strengthen South Africa's foot-and-mouth disease control program. This multi-stakeholder approach aims to effectively manage and mitigate the impact of the disease on the country's livestock sector.
Minister Aucamp's decision has been welcomed as a positive step towards addressing the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in South Africa. The involvement of the private sector in vaccine manufacture is expected to improve the availability and accessibility of the vaccine, ultimately contributing to the protection of the country's livestock and food security.
Key points
- The private sector will be allowed to manufacture the Landbou Research Council's foot-and-mouth disease vaccine through conditional license agreements.
- The LRC will continue to expand its own manufacturing capacity for the vaccine, with any revenue from license agreements used to further build this capacity.
- The decision aims to strengthen national biosecurity, secure food supply chains, and protect South Africa's livestock sector.
