Botha-Bothe, Aug. 27 — A consignment of 10,000 doses of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine from Botswana is expected to arrive in the district tomorrow, with the vaccines set to be administered to cattle in Botha-Bothe due to the rate at which the disease is spreading.
Speaking at the Lesotho National Wool and Mohair Growers Association on Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, Mr. Selibe Mochoboroane, said his wish was to see animals in all districts protected against FMD.
Minister Mochoboroane, however, said the challenge was that the available vaccine was not enough, and therefore it had to be prioritised for areas where the FMD situation was most severe.
“When I first arrived at the Ministry, I knew the Principal Secretary and the animal doctors because of the challenge that I landed in when I got to the Ministry. I had to sit down with them first to understand the magnitude of the problem and then plan the way forward,” he said.
He said once a country detected FMD, it was required to notify all countries with which it traded about the situation.
“When a country finds that it has FMD, it has to let all the countries that it trades with know about the situation. When we did that, all countries like South Africa, China, Uruguay and Norway stopped trading with Lesotho immediately. Even the fibre that was already at the ports and ready to go to Uruguay stopped there,” he said.
He said China was, to date, the only country with which Lesotho had successfully negotiated to continue trading.
He added that two containers that were at Port Elizabeth were en route back to Lesotho to be prepared for export to China.
Minister Mochoboroane said the government was still in talks with other countries to allow trade to continue under special regulations while Lesotho battled FMD.
He said Lesotho had faced a major challenge in securing negotiations with South Africa, but the two countries had finally agreed that their animal health experts would meet on September 1, 2026, to finalise trade regulations.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Agency, Botha-Bothe Veterinary Doctor, Dr Lineo Leponesa, said vaccination would start on Monday at Qholaqhoe Resource Centre before moving to Nqabeni, Khukhune, Selomo, Ngoajane and Matsoaing, and finally Rampai Resource Centre.
“One would be surprised why Rampai Resource Centre will be last even though it is where the disease was first detected and had high confirmed numbers of animals with FMD. This is the principle that we follow; we start with places where the disease has not been reported at all or had very few reports of the disease,” she said.
She added that only cattle aged three years and above would be vaccinated, saying the disease appeared to have affected cattle more than other animals.
She further indicated that cattle appeared to be spreading the disease more because they showed signs quickly, including excessive drooling, which could contribute to the spread of the virus.
“Farmers should be aware that when they bring these cattle for vaccination, they should make sure that they leave those that have not reached the age of three. We will also be starting with those that have not contracted the disease and end up with those that have contracted the disease,” she explained.
Dr. Leponesa thanked farmers for their patience and cooperation since the disease was detected, saying many had listened to and followed the regulations provided to them.
She added that there was still a long way to go before Lesotho could be declared free of FMD, urging farmers to continue following the guidance given by veterinary authorities.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) was first confirmed in Botha-Bothe on February 18 2026, marking the beginning of Lesotho’s wider FMD outbreak.
The disease was initially detected among cattle at a cattle post in Mahlasela, near the border with South Africa’s Free State Province, after animals showed clinical signs consistent with FMD.
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