Agriculture Dept wins legal challenge over foot-and-mouth control

The Gauteng Division of the High Court has dismissed an urgent application by litigation group Sakeliga and others calling for the unregulated procurement and administration of foot-and-mouth vaccines.

The order has effectively postponed the matter, giving the Department of Agriculture a set timeframe to finalise its vaccination drive.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has come under criticism from the cattle industry for his management of FMD.

FMD is a highly contagious viral infection affecting cloven-hoofed animals like cattle.

Government is aiming to vaccinate about 80 percent of the national herd against future outbreaks.

Steenhuisen has faced fierce criticism over his management of foot-and-mouth outbreak that has spread across the country.

Under pressure, he announced he would step down from the leadership race in his party to solely focus on FMD.

ALSO READ: Over 40,000 livestock vaccinated as Western Cape battles foot-and-mouth disease

Faced with a shortage of vaccines and no cure for FMD, Sakeliga and others went to court to force matters.

They wanted to be allowed to legally procure and administer their own vaccines but this is government's terrain, only it has the legal authority to procure and administer such vaccines.

Steenhuisen has argued biosecurity must be coordinated at the state level and aligned with international standards.

The country has battled to contain the spread of the disease with only vaccines to prevent future outbreaks.

All this while cattle farmers have been losing millions and impacting the country’s beef exports, this has prompted the president to declare the disease a national disaster.

ALSO READ: Farmers take government to court as foot-and-mouth disease spreads across entire South Africa

Recently, government went on a drive to vaccinate the affected herds with only a million doses. A further million doses were received from Turkey, not too long ago.

On Monday, Steenhuisen announced the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority would expedite the importation of six million Dollvet vaccine doses.

He said the FMD strategy is progressing under strict regulatory oversight.