The Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai), Free State Agriculture and Sakeliga have urgently approached the Pretoria High Court seeking an interim injunction against the Minister of Agriculture. Johannes Steenhuisenand the Ministry of Agriculture.
This follows concerns about Steenhuisen’s current position Foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine measures, which the organizations plan to challenge in a broader review application.
At the heart of this legal action is the claim that the Secretary of State’s policy, which limits farmers’ ability to control the disease, is unlawful and unconstitutional.
The petitioners argue that these measures unnecessarily hinder farmers and the private sector from acting together with the state to tackle the growing foot and mouth crisis.
In their filing, Saai, Free State Agriculture and Sakeliga allege that the minister’s actions include hindering private imports of vaccines and disrupting established commercial vaccine supply chains.
They also claim the minister is effectively preventing farmers from vaccinating their own animals, despite the government recognizing the crisis. declared a national disasterand admitted that there were serious capacity constraints in managing the outbreak.
Francois Rossouw, CEO of Saai, highlighted the financial devastation farmers are facing as a result of these restrictions.
He questioned the constitutionality of the ban on private sector intervention if the government’s own capacity is insufficient.
“We are in the middle of a financial disaster. Farmers are simply asking that they not be prevented from protecting their own animals and their right to earn a living,” said Rossouw.
“If state capacity is limited, it cannot be constitutionally justified to block private capacity.”
In the meantime, the applicants request that the court urgently prohibit the minister from preventing farmers from obtaining and administering FMD vaccines themselves.
They are also seeking to halt any interference with legal private vaccine imports, distribution and supply chains until the review process is completed.
Dr. Theo de Jager, chairman of the Saai board, called the minister’s actions “economically harmful” and stated that it is legally untenable for the state to prohibit farmers from trading independently.
“Prohibiting farmers from taking joint action against foot and mouth disease with the state while losses are escalating is not only economically damaging – it is legally untenable.
“This case is about the right of farmers to act for themselves and prevent further destruction of their herds and livelihoods,” De Jager said.
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Hope Ntanzi
iol.co.za