Why Foot-and-Mouth Disease Matters to You
Most people think of milk as a simple, reliable staple. It’s always there on the shelf, day after day. But behind every litre of milk is a living animal, and behind every dairy animal is a long-term system built on care, genetics, and time.
As a dairy farmer, Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is one of the diagnoses we hope never to hear: not because it makes headlines, but because of what it does to a herd.
What is Foot-and-Mouth Disease?
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cows, goats, and sheep. It spreads quickly, often before visible symptoms appear, and once it’s present, movement restrictions and control measures are unavoidable. FMD is a Notifiable Disease, which means that a farmer must inform the State immediately upon diagnosis. (Note: It also means that the State is responsible for the vaccination protocols, taking a lot of agency away from individual farmers.)
For dairy farmers, FMD isn’t just about sick animals – it’s about the sudden interruption of an entire food system.
The immediate impact: less milk, very quickly.
When animals are affected by FMD, milk production drops almost overnight. Animals in pain don’t eat well, don’t move well, and don’t produce well. In some cases, milk yields can halve. In others, milking may have to stop entirely. Milking animals can’t simply be “switched off”, however, and the process of drying off cows and goats must be managed carefully and patiently by exhausted farmers and their workers.
Even farms that are not infected feel the impact. Movement is restricted. Logistics are affected. Animals cannot be bought, sold, or relocated. A system that relies on daily flow becomes fragile very fast.
This is the part most people expect – the short-term disruption.
But it’s not the whole story.
The medium-term reality: fertility and breeding losses
Dairy farming is not a short-cycle industry. A cow doesn’t just “start again” once she recovers.
During an FMD outbreak, fertility often suffers. Animals may:
- Fail to conceive
- Lose pregnancies
- Take longer to return to a healthy reproductive cycle
This matters because every milking animal represents years of planning. Breeding decisions are made generations ahead, selecting for health, milk quality, resilience, and temperament. When fertility drops or animals are lost, those breeding lines don’t simply come back.
A replacement heifer takes around two years to grow before she produces her first milk. That means the real supply impact of FMD often shows up long after the outbreak itself feels “over.”
Why recovery takes years, not months
From the outside, it can look like farms “bounce back.” Animals heal. Movement resumes. Shelves refill.
But inside the herd, the reset button doesn’t exist.
Rebuilding numbers takes time. Rebuilding genetics takes even longer. Financial pressure has increased (it can cost up to R6000 to manage the symptoms of just one single affected animal), just as production remains suppressed (a cow’s gestation period is 9 months). Farmers often carry the cost long after the public conversation has moved on.
What this may mean for consumers
You may notice:
- Reduced availability of certain dairy products
- Less consistency in supply
- Price pressure as production costs rise and volumes fall
These changes are not driven by opportunism – they are the natural consequence of a biological system under strain.
A shared food system
Dairy farmers don’t operate in isolation. We are part of a shared food system that depends on animal health, sensible and responsive State support, responsible biosecurity, and long-term thinking.
When FMD enters the picture, the impact reaches far beyond the farm gate. Understanding that helps create patience, perspective, and empathy – all of which are essential if we want a resilient dairy industry in South Africa that can continue to feed families for generations to come.
The dairy aisle is one you visit daily – for milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, kefir and more. Bear a thought for those trying to keep that aisle full and affordable. We’re facing a crisis, again, and need the support of our customers and retail partners more than ever.
FAQ
Is milk safe to drink during an FMD outbreak?
Yes. Foot-and-Mouth Disease does not pose a food safety risk to consumers. All dairy on shelves continues to meet strict safety and quality standards.
Why does milk supply drop so quickly?
Animals affected by FMD experience pain, fever, and stress, which dramatically reduces milk production. Once her milk is dried up, we cannot simply switch it back on again. She needs to go through a new pregnancy and birth – with a gestation period of 9 months, this can be almost a year. Only once she has delivered her calf will she become a milker again.
Why can’t farmers just replace affected animals?
Dairy animals are not interchangeable. Each animal represents years of breeding, genetics, and care. A replacement heifer takes around two years before she produces milk, so losses today affect supply well into the future.