The Department of Agriculture (DoA) and industry organisations Sakeliga, Southern African Agri Initiative and Free State Agriculture have reached a settlement on the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) litigation terms after the Pretoria High Court in May ruled that vaccines may be privately procured and distributed.
The litigation and its settlement have resulted in a process by which the State recognises and supports the right of livestock owners and managers to vaccinate their animals, with record-keeping suited to the State's purposes for monitoring FMD outbreaks.
As part of the settlement, DoA and Onderstepoort Biological Products, as South Africa's vaccine manufacturer, have expressly relinquished any exclusive rights to the import or distribution of FMD vaccines. Sakeliga says this paves the way for stable and competitive commercial supply chains to develop for FMD vaccines.
Sakeliga says the favourable outcome achieved on private sector administration of FMD vaccines underscores the value of litigation as a legitimate mechanism for the orderly resolution of focused disputes.
Fellow industry organisation, FMD Response SA, also welcomed the settlement between government and the litigating parties, saying it will speed up the pace of FMD vaccination - which is imperative to contain the current widespread outbreaks.
