Not good enough, John Steenhuisen
Sakeliga has slated Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s press statement on the foot-and-mouth disease issue, saying it fails to comply with the law.
Steenhuisen released a press statement on Tuesday, 27 January 2026, in response to a letter of demand from Sakeliga, SAAI, and Free State Agriculture.
The legal action is related to the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, which is ravaging cattle and dairy farmers across South Africa.
The three organisations seek confirmation that livestock owners and the private sector may generally procure and administer foot-and-mouth vaccines.
They demand that the Minister, the Department, and the Chief Director of Veterinary Services issue this written confirmation.
They must allow vaccine procurement and administration based on the private sector’s own considerations without being blocked by state gatekeeping and red tape.
The group gave the Minister and his colleagues until Friday, 30 January 2026, by close of business to confirm whether they agree or not.
Steenhuisen released a press statement cautioning against an impending court case that could derail vaccine procurement.
He criticised the groups behind the legal action, saying their action is all in the name of membership recruitment and a request for legal contributions.
The Minister added that the legal action by Sakeliga, SAAI, and Free State Agriculture will cause farmers to suffer.
He highlighted that foot-and-mouth disease is a controlled animal disease governed strictly by the Animal Diseases Act, 1984.
He added that the Department of Agriculture is obliged to follow the law when dealing with a controlled animal disease.
“Litigation, in the midst of a serious outbreak, now seeks to challenge the legislative framework and obligations required by the State to protect the national herd,” he said.
“Now is not the time for distraction. What we need now is a united and full focus on dealing with the current crisis.”
Sakeliga is not impressed
Sakeliga said Steenhuisen’s public statement on Tuesday falls short of complying with their requirements.
It added that his uncharacteristically fast response points to the merits of credible legal proceedings to jolt unresponsive state officials into action.
“However, due to vagueness and other shortcomings, the Minister’s media statement cannot be considered an appropriate response,” it said.
Sakeliga said it remains crucial for Steenhuisen to provide a forthright response to its questions by the close of business on Friday, 30 January 2026.
“That response would make clear whether an actual dispute between the Minister and Sakeliga, SAAI, and Free State Agriculture exists,’ it said.
Should the Minister or his associates unlawfully or unduly obstruct private-sector vaccine procurement and administration, litigation will be necessary.
Sakeliga accused Steenhuisen of misrepresenting that the litigation would require suspending any lawful conduct and delaying the state’s response to the disease.
“This is a misrepresentation in both fact and law. He appears to pave the way for further excuses for ongoing obstructions of businesses and failures by his department,” it said.
The litigation, it said, would neither require the Minister to suspend any lawful measure nor exempt him or other officials from their obligations.
Sakeliga also threatened legal action against Steenhuisen and state officials in their personal capacity.
This, it said, would happen if the Minister or his department inappropriately delayed, frustrated, or otherwise impeded their state response to the disease.
Letter of demand statement from Sakeliga, SAAI, and Free State Agriculture
Sakeliga, SAAI, and Free State Agriculture have sent a formal letter of demand to the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, regarding the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.
Our letter of demand requires the Minister, the Department, and the Chief Director of Veterinary Services to provide written confirmation that livestock owners and the private sector generally may procure and administer FMD vaccines according to their own risk management considerations without being blocked by state gatekeeping and red tape.
As set out in the letter, it is our understanding from the relevant legislation and regulations that no FMD control measures contain a direct prohibition against private individuals administering vaccines to their own livestock.
We have given the Minister and his colleagues until Friday, 30 January 2026, by close of business, to confirm whether they agree or not.
Should the Minister and his colleagues not agree that private parties may procure and administer FMD vaccines, and if they be of the view that any legal impediment to this effect exists, we demand that the Minister should state so explicitly in writing and explain the alleged impediment with full reference to any statutory provision, regulation, or other documents that he might claim to have legal force. Copies of such documents should also be provided.
This step follows Sakeliga’s announcement last week that it would take measures against the government’s obstruction of effective responses to the FMD outbreak.
Complementing existing efforts to contain the FMD outbreak
While there are several approaches to dealing with FMD in livestock – including vaccination – that have been used over many decades, it is unacceptable to arbitrarily restrict those who wish to follow a vaccination strategy from doing so.
Allowing private vaccination would not impede the state’s efforts to respond to the FMD outbreak. There is more than enough vaccine available for import, and suppliers are willing and able to supply to the private sector.
Private participation in vaccination would enable immediate, decentralised, and widespread responses by those most directly affected.
Given the Department of Agriculture’s inability to contain the disease and its continuous failure to administer the prescribed vaccines to livestock in the affected areas, it would be irrational to prohibit livestock owners from administering FMD vaccinations at their own initiative.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s response
The Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, and the Department of Agriculture note with concern the legal letter received from Saai, Sakeliga and Free State Agriculture demanding owners of livestock to be allowed to privately administer vaccines and which is also threatening legal action.
The department has further observed various social media, WhatsApp and SMS campaigns from these groups advertising legal action against the State, soliciting donations for an impending court case, and using the war on Foot and mouth disease (FMD) to drive membership recruitment.
Foot and mouth disease is a controlled animal disease governed strictly by the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act No. 35 of 1984). Minister Steenhuisen warns that the department is obliged to follow the law in this regard. Litigation, in the midst of a serious outbreak, now seeks to challenge the very legislative framework and obligations required by the State to protect the national herd.
While anybody is free to approach the courts at any time, this legal venture is most unfortunate as it seeks to attack the Act under which the State is about to procure vaccines and roll out the FMD plan. This plan was formulated by the Ministerial Task Team made up of private and public sector scientists, veterinarians and academics.
The rollout of this plan, along with clear immediate, medium- and long-term timeframes, was announced by Minister Steenhuisen a fortnight ago. It marks the first time in 30 years that the State has a clear roadmap to defeat FMD.
The State has already acquired, monitored and administered two million vaccines from the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) to date. Additionally, the issuing of permits for private companies to import vaccines, as local agents, has already commenced. Import permits for the Dollvet vaccine were issued to Dunevax, and an additional import permit to import the Biogénesis Bagó vaccine is imminent.
However, the department warns that this progress is now at risk. The threatened court action could well derail the purchasing and rollout of vaccines while the Saai/Sakeliga/Free State Agriculture case moves through the court process and the department waits to obtain a clear directive from the court in this matter.
Technical responses required by officials and veterinarians within the department, to answer such a court challenge, will divert critical veterinary and departmental resources away from the frontline fight against FMD. In addition, financial resources that could go towards vaccine purchase or personnel recruitment will have to be diverted to answer the court challenge.
The department maintains that claims proposing a vaccine-free-for-all are short-sighted and reckless and fly in the face of established international and local precedents for disease control.
We have already seen the disastrous effects of unfettered access to vaccines that have been illegally imported into KwaZulu-Natal by certain farmers and the serious risk this has posed.
The Scientific Path to FMD-Free Status is very clear. In order to regain the “FMD-free status with vaccination” from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), South Africa must prove there has been no virus transmission for at least 12 months.
This requires a strictly controlled vaccination rollout; official surveillance; strict movement controls; and systematic vaccination coverage that can be documented and verified.
Without centralised monitoring and State-led control over the process, the country will fail to achieve this goal, causing long-term damage to agricultural exports and negating the entire strategy of vaccination.
The private sector, industry bodies and others have been included in every step of the way; from the initial lekgotla on FMD to the Ministerial Task Team and now also in the FMD Industry Coordination Council. The department has furthermore already committed to working with private veterinarians and animal technicians as the vaccine rollout proceeds.
“We urge the farming community to be wary of promises by lobby groups attempting to profit from the hardships farmers are currently enduring. These actions threaten a scientific framework designed to ensure the country wins the war against FMD once and for all.
“Now is not the time for distraction: what we need now is a united and full focus on dealing with the current crisis and rolling out with scale and fast track our national strategy on Foot and Mouth Disease containment.
Once the immediate crisis has passed, organisations can then indulge in all manner of litigation. But in the immediate time, we must move in a unified manner and with the speed and determination to contain the current outbreak. This is the way we will win the war against FMD,” Minister Steenhuisen emphasised.
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