South Africa: Karan Beef confirms FMD outbreak at three feedlots

Karan Beef has confirmed a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak at three of its commercial cattle feedlots. The outbreak began at the Heidelberg feedlot, where a suspected FMD case was detected on June 2, prompting immediate quarantine measures. Since then, two other facilities managed by Karan Beef in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have reported FMD infections, putting around 160,000 cattle under strict containment protocols. Anso Bracken, marketing manager at Karan Beef, said that, in addition to standard biosecurity measures, the company had implemented rigorous decontamination procedures for all personnel and vehicles exiting the affected feedlots. All animal movement from and to Karan Beef facilities has been suspended and will remain so until the relevant authorities grant slaughter approvals. Bracken also confirmed that Karan Beef was included in the state’s vaccine rollout plans. The source of the outbreak remains under investigation.
Meanwhile, the economic fallout is significant because Karan Beef’s Heidelberg feedlot slaughters almost 2000 cattle daily, accounting for a big part of the company’s revenues. According to Bracken, the outbreak has severely disrupted the flow of cattle to market, affecting supply and placing intense pressure on farmers, exporters, and consumers. Moreover, the disruption comes at a time when meat prices are already on the rise due to food inflation. Meat industry representatives have called for enhanced disease surveillance, increased vaccine production capacity, and long-term investment in biosecurity to curb the spread of FMD.