Sakeliga, SAAI and others issue legal demands to Minister Steenhuisen on FMD vaccination

Key topics:Sakeliga demands Minister allow private FMD vaccination by livestock owners.Letter sets 30 Jan 2026 deadline for legal clarity on vaccine restrictions.Private vaccination seen as key to containing outbreak amid state delays..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..Issued by Sakeliga and others.Sakeliga, SAAI, and Free State Agriculture have sent a *formal letter of demand* (attached below this article) to the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen regarding the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.Our letter of demand requires the Minister, the Department, and the Chief Director of Veterinary Services to provide written confirmation that livestock owners and the private sector generally may procure and administer FMD vaccines according to their own risk management considerations without being blocked by state gatekeeping and red tape.As set out in the letter, it is our understanding from the relevant legislation and regulations that *no FMD control measures contain a direct prohibition* against private individuals administering vaccines to their own livestock. We have given the Minister and his colleagues *until Friday 30 January 2026* by close of business to confirm whether they agree or not. Should the Minister and his colleagues not agree that private parties may procure and administer FMD vaccines, and if they be of the view that any legal impediment to this effect exists, we demand that the Minister should state so explicitly in writing and explain the alleged impediment with full reference to any statutory provision, regulation, or other documents that he might claim to have legal force. Copies of such documents should also be provided.This step follows Sakeliga's announcement last week that it would take measures against the government's obstruction of effective responses to the FMD outbreak.Complementing existing efforts to contain the FMD outbreakWhile there are several approaches to dealing with FMD in livestock – including vaccination – that have been used over many decades, it is unacceptable to arbitrarily restrict those who wish to follow a vaccination strategy from doing so..Read more:.Mailbox - Rural revolt and economic collapse threaten Steenhuisen’s leadership.Allowing private vaccination would not impede the state's efforts to respond to the FMD outbreak. There is more than enough vaccine available for import, and suppliers are willing and able to supply to the private sector. Private participation in vaccination would enable immediate, decentralised, and widespread responses by those most directly affected.Given the Department of Agriculture's inability to contain the disease and its continuous failure to administer the prescribed vaccines to livestock in the affected areas, it would be irrational to prohibit livestock owners from administering FMD vaccinations at their own initiative.

Sakeliga, SAAI and others issue legal demands to Minister Steenhuisen on FMD vaccination

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