Vaccine rollout against foot-and-mouth disease won't work, says Farmer Angus

As South Africa vaccinates millions of cattle against foot-and-mouth disease, one farmer says the rollout is missing the bigger issue.

The outbreak, which has been declared a national disaster, has already seen around two million cattle vaccinated.

But Angus McIntosh, CEO of Farmer Angus, argues that mass vaccination is treating the symptom, not the cause.

"I'm not sure who says that vaccines are the answer. They've already injected two million animals, and it keeps spreading. It doesn't work.”

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McIntosh believes intensive feedlot farming, grain-heavy diets and routine medication weaken the immune system of cattle, making them more vulnerable to outbreaks like FMD.

"The immune systems of the animals are repressed by the way they are kept in their toilets, and then they think the pharmaceutical industry is going to be the saviour."

He says grass-fed cattle moved regularly between grazing camps are far more resilient and argues that, if the vaccinations were effective, the disease wouldn't be spreading.

"We wouldn't have it in the Western Cape now."

However, the government believes mass vaccination is critical to containing the spread and protecting export markets.

To listen to McIntosh in conversation with CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit, use the audio player below: