Agricultural Research Council Visit to Onderstepoort Focuses on Stronger Livestock Disease Control for Farmers

The Agricultural Research Council continues to strengthen its work that supports livestock farmers through improved research, vaccine development, and operational support. Recently, Ms Manthati Makumbila from the Agricultural Research Council visited the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Campus to engage directly with research and support teams. The focus of the visit included Human Capital Management and the Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine teams. The purpose was to improve coordination between support services and scientific work that directly affects animal health. For farmers, this type of engagement matters because it shapes how quickly and effectively veterinary solutions reach the field.

A major focus of the discussions was livestock disease control, especially the ongoing work around Foot and Mouth Disease. This disease spreads quickly among cattle, sheep, and goats and can lead to major production losses and trade restrictions. The vaccine development team explained how research efforts are aimed at improving prevention tools and strengthening outbreak response. Farmers depend on consistent vaccine supply and effective disease monitoring to protect herd health and maintain income stability. The visit helped reinforce the importance of aligning administrative systems with the urgent demands of this research work. When support functions operate efficiently, vaccine development and distribution can move faster and reach farming communities sooner.

Human Capital Management teams also played a key role in the engagement by highlighting staffing and skills development needs within the research environment. Veterinary research requires highly trained scientists, laboratory technicians, and support staff who can maintain strict safety and quality standards. The discussion focused on improving recruitment processes and ensuring that critical roles are filled without delays that could slow down research progress. For farmers, this is important because delays in staffing can slow down vaccine testing, disease surveillance, and field response systems. Strengthening human capacity inside the ARC helps ensure that livestock health programmes remain stable and responsive. It also supports long term continuity in research that farmers rely on during disease outbreaks.

The visit reflects a practical push to make sure research institutions deliver real benefits to the agricultural sector. By improving coordination between corporate support teams and scientific researchers, the Agricultural Research Council aims to reduce bottlenecks that affect service delivery. Farmers benefit when research, vaccine production, and animal health services operate as a connected system rather than separate units. Stronger alignment also helps improve preparedness for disease outbreaks and supports faster decision making during emergencies. As livestock farming remains a key part of South Africa’s agricultural economy, this type of institutional coordination plays a direct role in protecting farmer livelihoods and national food security.