TLU SA’s Executive Committee wishes to state clearly that our organisation’s role on the Industry Coordinating Committee (ICC) with regard to FMD is to serve the interests of the agricultural sector. As a member organisation, our positions and decisions are determined by our structures and members.
There is growing concern about the current pace and direction in which the FMD situation is being managed. It is astonishing that there is still a tendency to cling to state control, while it is clear to everyone in the country that the necessary capacity to handle the situation effectively simply does not exist. In the meantime, farmers across the country are paying an immeasurable price due to delays and the apparent unwillingness of the department to allow the private sector to play a greater role in stabilising the situation.
TLU SA wishes to state clearly that the situation in which not only the agricultural sector, but indeed the entire country, finds itself has in fact been caused by the actions of the state.
Against this background, the ICC launched an honest effort to provide constructive input and unlock additional capacity precisely because of the shortage thereof. The aim was to involve the private sector within the existing legal framework and under appropriate oversight. To this end, a Section 10 application was submitted by the ICC as early as 29 January 2026 to enable this process in a controlled manner. It is, however, completely unacceptable that this request has still not been signed.
“No one wants a situation where vaccines are imported and administered without control,” says Bennie van Zyl, General Manager of TLU SA. “The fact that this is beginning to happen is precisely the result of an absent state that is failing to fulfil its responsibility with regard to this state-controlled disease. The state’s inability to act with decisiveness and a sense of urgency is now starting to pose a greater threat to the agricultural sector than FMD itself.”
There are also increasing questions arising that remain unanswered. Dunevax has publicly stated that it can supply the Dolvet vaccine throughout the country at R45 plus VAT, provided that it is permitted to import it under a Section 21 application, which would place the process on a legal footing and under quality control. There is little logic in inserting Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) into this distribution chain, as it merely increases the cost. The only rational explanation for this is that the money trail needs to be followed. Ultimately, it is the taxpayer who will unnecessarily pay several million rand through this action, merely to reintroduce into the process an already proven inability.
If the state truly intends to act responsibly in this matter, the following steps should be announced immediately by John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture:
- The Section 10 application must be signed immediately.
- A coordinating operational centre (JOC) must be established consisting of members of the MTT and ICC with executive mandates.
- Members of the MTT, producer organisations and provincial animal health directors must jointly develop a scientifically grounded and strategic vaccine rollout plan.
- The JOC must immediately compile a national guideline for movement control in terms of Section 9.
- Biosecurity measures must continuously be promoted with practical guidelines as an essential part of farming practices.
- The JOC must clearly define the state’s oversight role in accordance with international requirements.
- A formal communication channel must be established to ensure that all stakeholders, and especially consumers, are fully and accurately informed about the status of FMD.
- A forensic audit must urgently be conducted on the quantities and prices of all vaccines, including the BVI vaccines from Botswana, as well as the Turkish and Argentinian vaccines, with full public transparency regarding the findings. There are already reports of vaccines apparently being sold under the table at exorbitant prices. In a crisis situation such as this, there can be no room for further corruption.
It is now time for the state to demonstrate its seriousness about this crisis not only through statements and public appearances, but through the concrete implementation of the proposals that the ICC has repeatedly placed on the table.
