South Africa is in the midst of one of the most severe livestock health crises in its history: a widespread outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease( FMD) that has now reached all nine provinces and affected hundreds of thousands of animals.
ISSN 2412-7779
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Cold Link Africa Online |
CONTENTS |
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INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN |
Cold Link Africa
ColdLinkAfrica
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VOL. 40- NO. 3 | JUNE 2026 |
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CONTENTS
REGULARS
3 Editor’ s Column 30 Buyer’ s guide 31 Word search
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NEWS
4 Booming poultry production tests SA’ s cold chain strength 5 Mercosur deal raises pressure on SA agri exports
NETWORKING
6 An introduction to TEVs, EEVs and control 9 SAIRAC backs school with donation 10 Navigating disruption
EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS |
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FRIGAIR expands with new regional events from 2027 |
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Technoswitch’ s tailored approach to fire safety in the cold chain |
BUSINESS ANALYSIS
14 China’ s zero-tariff shift a fresh boost for agri exports and cold chain demand 15 Transnet’ s R6bn rail upgrade could reshape SA’ s cold chain 15 Major border upgrade set to transform regional trade flows
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16 Beyond‘ combustible’ – a complex question as Kingspan brings real-world proof to cold chain insulation
FEATURE
17 Where the chain breaks
PROJECT
21 How advanced environmental control is transforming hatcheries in SA
VOICES
23 Crisis driving change 24 Lifecycle thinking reshapes refrigeration investment decisions 25 What’ s your company’ s roadmap for incident response training? 27 R22 phase down: cost and continuity 28 Why Africa must prioritise temperature-controlled logistics amid global disruption 29 What qualifies as a system? 29 The tools of the trade: Using simple finance systems to stay in control
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© Cold Link Africa
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FMD in SA: Why the vaccination campaign is a lifeline and a logistical battleground
South Africa is in the midst of one of the most severe livestock health crises in its history: a widespread outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease( FMD) that has now reached all nine provinces and affected hundreds of thousands of animals.
The government has responded with a nationwide vaccination campaign, but the scale of the challenge – both scientific and logistical – is exposing weaknesses that go far beyond the farm gate. The outbreak has spread rapidly since late 2025, impacting nearly 1 000 outbreaks across the country and leading to the culling of tens of thousands of cattle. Countries such as China and Zambia have banned imports of South African meat, dealing a massive blow to export revenue and farm incomes.
In response, the national government has launched a mass vaccination effort, deploying millions of vaccine doses and aiming to immunise risk herds across provinces. About 1 million doses from Argentina and 1.5 million from Turkey have already arrived, and more are expected.
The goal is to contain spread, protect food security and eventually reclaim South Africa’ s coveted‘ FMD-free with vaccination’ status – critical for international trade.
Vaccination against FMD is not simply about administering injections. Like human vaccines – especially those for temperaturesensitive pathogens – animal vaccines depend critically on cold-chain logistics: synchronised storage, transport and handling to keep them potent from factory to farm.
In the South African context, this logistical chain now stretches across vast landscapes, from airport import points and provincial distribution centres to remote rural farms
– each step requiring reliable refrigeration, monitoring and trained personnel.
This mirrors broader public-health vaccine challenges. For example, in human pharma, poor temperature control can render up to 50 % of doses unusable, leading to wasted resources and eroding trust – outcomes no government or farmer can afford.
For livestock vaccine programmes, the stakes are similar: any breakdown in cold chain risks ineffective immunisation, meaning animals remain vulnerable even after vaccination.
SUPPLY CONSTRAINTS AND SLOW ROLLOUT
Although the government has imported millions of doses, vaccine supply is still far short of what’ s needed to immunise the full at-risk herd. Estimates suggest more than 12 million doses may be required to cover priority zones sufficiently, and current deliveries are only part of that total.
Compounding this is South Africa’ s historical reliance on local manufacturers, notably Onderstepoort Biological Products( OBP), which once produced FMD vaccines domestically. Reports indicate this facility collapsed despite substantial government funding, leaving the country dependent on international suppliers amidst a crisis.
Efforts to restart local vaccine production are underway and are seen as vital for longterm resilience. Logistical and supply chain
challenges are only part of the story. There are also governance and policy disputes around how the vaccination campaign should be managed.
Recent court actions by farmer groups such as the Southern African Agri Initiative( SAAI) and Sakeliga argue that state controls are restricting private vaccine imports and parallel actions, which they say could accelerate protection of herds. These organisations have approached the High Court to challenge government restrictions as unlawful.
This clash reflects deeper tensions: farmers are eager to protect their livelihoods and see vaccination as essential, but disagreements over control of vaccine imports, distribution and biosecurity protocols have fuelled frustration and distrust.
The fallout isn’ t confined to cattle morbidity and mortality. Public confusion has arisen over post-vaccination restrictions – particularly around dairy products. Earlier measures classified milk from vaccinated farms as risky, which industry players argued was both scientifically unfounded and damaging to producers. Government policy was subsequently adjusted to clarify that milk from vaccinated, uninfected farms can be marketed, highlighting how misaligned controls can hinder trust and economic activity.
LESSONS FROM HUMAN VACCINE PROGRAMMES
Challenges in FMD vaccination share
EDITOR ' S COLUMN
parallels with human vaccine programmes, where cold chain failure undercuts effectiveness and breeds scepticism. For instance, in global health contexts, poor temperature control can lead to high wastage, drive up costs and even contribute to vaccine hesitancy – because communities may question whether the doses they receive were stored properly.
Similarly, if livestock owners fear vaccines aren’ t effective due to logistical failures, the uptake of crucial immunisation campaigns could fall short, prolonging the outbreak and its economic toll. CLA
Sources:
• IQVIA Podcast https:// iqvia. buzzsprout. com / 7541 / episodes / 18100685-the-hidden-costsof-the-vaccine-cold-chain – more fully discussed in this month’ s feature.
• Government vaccination campaign details, shipment and strategic plan: gov. za media advisory
• Medafrica Times
• Vaccine waste parallels from cold chain analysis in global health: Farmers Weekly
June 2026 www. coldlinkafrica. co. za COLD LINK AFRICA
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