A settlement was reached following a farming sector legal case to allow farmers to privately vaccinate against Foot and Mouth Disease; this was according to Minister of Agriculture, Willie Aucamp
A settlement was reached with farming sector representative organisations following legal action to allow farmers to privately vaccinate against Foot and Mouth Disease; this was according to Minister of Agriculture, Willie Aucamp.
Aucamp said that the settlement came after lengthy negotiations regarding the management of the FMD outbreak. “The 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, 9 July 2026 in Pretoria.”
Aucamp added that the settlement is a huge step in the right direction for the stability of the country’s agricultural sector. “Today’s settlement is not only a win for the parties involved in the case but is a win for all South African farmers as this sector contributes significantly to the country’s job creation efforts and GDP.”
Aucamp said that 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 certain biosecurity, legal prescripts, and conditions, including traceability and reporting.
