Crisis deepens amid silence from agriculture minister.
Farmers are still waiting for Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen to respond following a second outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) this year.
Last week, Steenhuisen said he was being briefed by the FMD task team about the current status of the outbreak.
Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) CEO Dewald Olivier said 644 000 doses of FMD SAT-strain vaccine arrived in South Africa from the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) two weeks ago.
“This shipment was secured through a direct industry-led procurement, coordinated and facilitated by RMIS in cooperation with the department of agriculture,” Olivier said.
He added that BVI is currently the only producer of SAT-type FMD vaccines in Southern Africa and supplies several countries in the region.
“Recognising the urgency to secure vaccine stock for high-risk areas in South Africa, the SA Feedlot Association formally requested approval from the department to allow feedlots to purchase vaccines directly,” Olivier said.
The vaccines are stored at Onderstepoort Biological Products and will be distributed to feedlots and buyers who contributed to the procurement.
“This is a water-based FMD vaccine that provides protection for up to four months. Due to its short duration of immunity, it is best suited for vaccination-to-kill strategies, as typically implemented in feedlots, where animals are slaughtered within a few months.
“It is less suitable for vaccination-to-live purposes, meaning it is not recommended for long-term use in breeding herds that remain in the production system for longer periods,” Olivier added.
He said discussions are ongoing with the department, the Agricultural Research Council, and international partners to diversify vaccine supply.
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Audit findings
TLU SA general manager Bennie van Zyl said farmers only learned about the outbreaks through media reports and are waiting to see what the department has done to contain them.
Southern African Agri Initiative board chair Theo de Jager criticised the department’s response following the latest audit findings presented to parliament this month.
De Jager said the report exposed serious governance and accountability failures within the department, which was previously part of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
He said the section now comprising the Department of Agriculture received a qualified audit opinion from the auditor-general, spending 94% of its budget while achieving only 83% of its targets.
“The auditor-general highlighted a sharp increase in fruitless and wasteful expenditure from R40 million to R104 million, with no evidence of consequence management or recovery of funds,” de Jager said.
“This demonstrates gross mismanagement and a dangerous lack of accountability in a department tasked with protecting national food security.
“The wasteful expenditure of R104 million is in stark contrast to the mere R2.2 million outstanding debt that caused the department to be excluded from several major international agricultural platforms, such as the G20 Farmers’ Dialogue, since 2023.
“This inflicted serious reputational damage on South Africa in the global Bones and Blooms agricultural community,” he added.
De Jager said the audit committee reported 28 forensic investigations across branches, including agricultural production, food security, and financial management.
“Many of these investigations remain incomplete, with the same audit findings repeating year after year,” he said.
“The auditor-general further flagged persistent irregular expenditure, weak internal controls, and an absence of consequence management – all symptoms of a system that enables waste.”
He added that farmers are losing faith in the department’s ability to manage budgets, maintain infrastructure, and deliver support programmes.
“Money intended for farmer development, disease control, and agricultural infrastructure is being swallowed by administrative waste, while the farming sector faces isolation from international partners and investors,” de Jager said.
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