Farm leaders have welcomed Willie Aucamp's appointment while calling for urgent action on foot-and-mouth disease and rising costs.
Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp. Picture: DFFE/ X
New Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp has pledged humility and collaboration as he steps into one of the country’s most pressured portfolios.
Calling the role “a great honour and privilege”, Aucamp said he cannot tackle the challenges alone and will rely on farmers, veterinarians and agricultural organisations to strengthen the sector.
Industry welcomes appointment
Industry leaders have welcomed his appointment but warn that stability, policy continuity and decisive action are urgently needed to safeguard food production.
Southern African Agri Initiative chief executive officer Francois Rossouw said he has already arranged to meet Aucamp next week.
“Not only is foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) still running like wildfire across the country, but the prices of diesel and fertiliser remain too high to enable farmers to harvest the current crop and budget for the 2026 planting season,” said Rossouw.
“The devastating floods in large parts of the country have also rendered infrastructure damaged, fields and orchards are lost and dams broken.”
FMD remains immediate concern
Rossouw said Saai has a lot of experience in working with Aucamp in his previous portfolio of forestry, fisheries and the environment, and also when he was DA spokesperson in parliament.
TLU SA chair Bennie van Zyl said agriculture does not operate according to political timeframes.
Van Zyl said the sector requires stability, policy continuity and decision-making that prioritises the long-term interests of food production.
“The immediate focus should be on controlling foot-and-mouth disease,” he said.
Call for public-private cooperation
“It is essential that a collective approach be adopted as soon as possible, utilising all available expertise and capacity from the public and private sectors to bring the disease under control.”
Van Zyl said the minister’s responsibility extends far beyond the FMD outbreak.
“Issues such as input costs, biosecurity, property rights, rural safety, market access, infrastructure and policy certainty require equal attention,” he said.
“Aucamp will need to acquaint himself with the mounting pressure that input costs place on producers. Organised agriculture should partner in search for solutions that strengthen the sustainability of food production.”
