Gauteng High Court ruling empowers farmers to procure Foot-and-Mouth Disease vaccines

A Pretoria High Court ruling enables the private sector to combat Foot-and-Mouth Disease in South Africa.

The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, has granted an order that Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines may be procured and administered privately, without state veterinary involvement.

The Minister of Agriculture was also interdicted from interfering in private commercial relations of those who lawfully import FMD vaccines into South Africa.

The judgment, issued late on Monday by Judge Corrie van der Westhuizen, is an interim order, pending a review application to be brought by Sakeliga, SAAI, and the Free State Agriculture against the government’s prohibition of private FMD vaccine procurement and administration policy.

But for now, owners and managers of cloven-hooved livestock may independently procure and administer lawfully obtained FMD vaccines.