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AfriForum welcomes the settlement agreement reached between the Department of Agriculture and agricultural organisations, which paves the way for the importation, procurement, and distribution of registered foot-and-mouth disease vaccines by private entities.

Lambert de Klerk, Manager of Environmental Affairs at AfriForum, describes this settlement as a necessary step towards decentralising state control amid the foot-and-mouth disease crisis. He further argues that the willingness of the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Willie Aucamp, to facilitate the privatisation of vaccine procurement played a critical role in a decision that should have been made months ago.

From the onset of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, AfriForum pointed out that the state lacked the capacity to handle the massive task of procuring and administering approximately 28 million vaccine doses without private sector assistance.

“The agreement will now give farmers the opportunity to take personal responsibility for the well-being of their herds. They will no longer have to watch helplessly as their farming operations collapse due to state incompetence and will now be able to take the initiative in tackling the crisis,” explains De Klerk.

Issued by: AfriForum