Steenhuisen defends foot-and-mouth task team amid NDA controversy

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has defended his decision to appoint a ministerial task team to advise on a strategy to tackle the foot-and-mouth outbreak, stating the group of experts is not intended to usurp the work of department officials.

Steenhuisen faced a barrage of questions in Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tuesday regarding the vaccination rollout and the specific appointments to the task team.

During the session, he clarified why he required members to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), noting that he had already replaced one appointee who refused to comply.

According to the minister, the task team comprises veterinarians, scientists, and technicians whose roles are strictly technical.

He maintained that it is standard practice for ministers to demand confidentiality from outside experts to protect sensitive data.

"It’s that committee that assesses vaccines and does likely matching of vaccines, and the like. This is obviously very sensitive commercial information and could be abused if utilised in a forum outside."

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Steenhuisen also dismissed suggestions from Members of Parliament that the delivery of vaccines has been slow or that the country is receiving expired products. On the contrary, he noted that international orders have been arriving ahead of schedule.

Specifically addressing quality concerns, the Minister highlighted a recent shipment: "The Biogenesis Bago vaccines that arrived on Saturday last week only expire in 2028. It was one of the first things that were checked."

While Steenhuisen expressed a preference for local production, he admitted that the state’s current internal capacity cannot meet the volumes required for the department's ambitious goals.

Government aims to vaccinate 80% of the national herd by the end of the year, a target that necessitates continued reliance on imports.