The Department of Agriculture has announced a settlement agreement after lengthy negotiations regarding the management of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak.
The main tenet of the settlement is that the owners and managers of cloven-hooved livestock may perform voluntary vaccination of their livestock against FMD in line with the certain biosecurity, legal prescripts and conditions, including traceability and reporting.
Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp welcomed the settlement.
The department said negotiations took place with the three applicants in the case namely: Sakeliga, South African Agri Initiative (SAAI), and Free State Agriculture, as well as with other respondents on Thursday in Pretoria.
Speaking after a media briefing, Aucamp said the settlement is a huge step in the right direction for the stability of the country’s agricultural sector.
