South Africa's beef exports fell 26% in 2025, despite growing global demand, partly due to China's ban on the African country's red meat products as it battles its worst foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in recent memory.

The country has faced resurgent foot-and-mouth infections since early 2025 when the disease spread to seven of its nine provinces.

Beef shipments to China fell 69% to 1,687 metric tons last year following the ban imposed in May, according to statistics from industry body Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

China was South Africa's third biggest external market in 2024 after the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

When the highly contagious viral disease broke out on James Kean's dairy farm in Mooi River late January, his normal seasonal farm expenses had increased by R1-million as he fought to keep infections out.

Kean says some of his peers have spent three years' worth of veterinary products in just one month.

Milk production on his farm declined to about 23 000 litres a day from about 26 000 litres within days of the outbreak, as infected cows eat less and are less productive.

"The cost to the economy is enormous. The (national) livestock population could halve in two years, in which case food prices are going to rise as well," Kean told Reuters during a visit to his farm.

Kean complains that the government has failed to contain the disease, a concern shared by many farmers.

The government plans to vaccinate 80% of South Africa's national herd, which is estimated at 12-million cattle.

On February 6, it rolled out South Africa's first foot-and-mouth vaccine in 20 years as it seeks to ease shortages of the inoculation doses.

The country is currently importing most of its foot-and-mouth vaccines from Botswana, Turkiye and Argentina.

"We are hit now by one of the worst outbreaks at a time when we don't have the capacity to produce the vaccines that are required," agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo told Reuters.