The High Court in Pretoria has ordered the agriculture minister to pay wasted legal costs and finalise South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination plan, reports Farmer’s Weekly.

The ruling, delivered yesterday, ordered the minister, the director general, and the director of animal health to jointly foot the legal bill for the latest proceedings.

The order, stemming from a legal challenge by Sakeliga, the Southern African Agri Initiative, and Free State Agriculture, compels the minister to publish the animal health scheme in the Government Gazette by April 17. This move effectively forces the state to transition from months of internal discussion to a legally binding framework, providing much-needed clarity for a livestock industry crippled by outbreaks since July 2025.

While the main application regarding the national FMD response is postponed until April 28, the court has ensured the state cannot stall further. All parties must file supplementary papers following the scheme’s publication, setting the stage for a high-stakes judicial review of the government’s ability to protect South African farmers and export markets from the spreading virus.

Read the full story here: Court orders Agriculture Minister to publish FMD vaccination scheme – and foot the bill for wasted costs