Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen receiving a batch that is part of 13.5 million doses of FMD vaccines received in just four months.
The KZN Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) has cautiously welcomed a recent Gauteng High Court ruling relating to the private procurement and administration of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines.
However, the union on Thursday warned that the judgement should not be interpreted as immediate approval for unrestricted vaccine imports or rollout.
The ruling, handed down on Monday is being viewed by the agricultural sector as a potentially significant development in efforts to improve South Africa’s response to recurring FMD outbreaks, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal where livestock producers continue to battle vaccine shortages and ongoing disease pressures.
However, Kwanalu stressed that several legal, regulatory and operational hurdles still remain before any practical implementation can occur.
