However, the move came with a significant caveat: while imports from some South African provinces are now allowed, stringent conditions remain in place to ensure the safety of Zimbabwe’s livestock and agricultural sectors.

The details of these conditions were outlined in the notice, which stressed the continued monitoring and compliance with health standards. It reads:

This lifting applies exclusively to animals originating from the provinces of Gauteng, North West, Northern Cape, and Western Cape. Exports from other South African provinces remain prohibited until further assessments are conducted.

The notice added that these precautionary biosecurity measures are a crucial component of Zimbabwe’s strategy to monitor and manage the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease outbreak affecting parts of South Africa.

Wandile Sihlobo, the chief economist at Agbiz, lauded the government and industry’s efforts to control animal disease spread. Said Sihlobo, via IOL:

The past three years have been challenging for South Africa’s livestock and poultry industry because of the spread of animal diseases.

Throughout this period, we have had various cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in cattle, African swine fever in pigs, and avian influenza in poultry.

While animal disease outbreaks are not unique to South Africa and are indeed common worldwide, South Africa’s challenges have intensified in recent years.

In 2022, six of South Africa’s nine provinces reported foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks. Said Sihlobo:

This was the first time in the country’s history that the disease had spread this wide. The country’s challenging situation prompted the government and industry stakeholders to increase their focus on strengthening farm biosecurity controls and surveillance.

However, Sihlobo said that on October 25, 2024, the Department of Agriculture announced positive news regarding the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak that had affected South Africa between 2021 and 2022.

The outbreak in the North West, Free State, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga Provinces was successfully contained, with animal testing on quarantined farms confirming that the disease was no longer present.

This resolution was subsequently verified by the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Despite this progress, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape provinces remain affected by ongoing FMD outbreaks.

Dr. Frikkie Maré, CEO of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO), said that the reopening of the Zimbabwean market offers significant benefits for both Zimbabwean and South African farmers.

Zimbabwean farmers will now be able to access genetic material such as semen and embryos, while South African farmers can resume exporting this valuable genetic material to Zimbabwe.