Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has expressed concern over a legal letter from agricultural organisations Saai, Sakeliga and Free State Agriculture, which is demanding that livestock owners be allowed to privately administer vaccines amid South Africa’s worst foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.
The Department of Agriculture has described the legal action as unfortunate, warning that it could undermine government efforts to contain the outbreak. Department spokesperson Joylene van Wyk said the challenge targets the Animal Diseases Act, the legislation under which the state is preparing to procure vaccines and implement its national FMD response plan.
Van Wyk said the plan was developed by a ministerial task team comprising scientists, veterinarians and academics from both the public and private sectors. She added that the rollout of the strategy, including clear short-, medium- and long-term interventions, was announced by Minister Steenhuisen two weeks ago.
“This plan was formulated by the ministerial task team made up of private and public sector scientists, veterinarians and academics,” Van Wyk said. “Its implementation timelines were communicated by the minister a fortnight ago.”
Meanwhile, agricultural organisation TLU SA has argued that the root of the current outbreak lies in regulatory constraints and limited state capacity that are not suited to the scale of the crisis. The organisation said the government is now facing mounting legal challenges over its handling of the disease.
TLU SA chairperson Bennie van Zyl warned that the outbreak poses a growing threat to South Africa’s food security, agricultural economy and rural livelihoods. He urged stakeholders to allow the newly established FMD Coordinating Council time to reassess regulations and propose workable solutions.
“TLU South Africa calls on its members to give the new FMD Coordinating Council a fair opportunity to meaningfully review the regulatory environment and to develop practical solutions that allow for the responsible, targeted involvement of the private sector in managing outbreaks,” Van Zyl said.
Efforts to contain the outbreak continue as tensions rise between government and agricultural bodies over the best approach to managing the crisis.