Willie Aucamp’s plan as Agriculture Minister: “Let the farmers farm”

Agriculture Minister-designate Willie Aucamp said that South African farmers are already world-class and do not need state intervention to succeed.

He shared this information with Nuuspod host, Izak Du Plessis, about his plans as South Africa’s new agriculture minister.

On 17 June 2026, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis announced changes to the party’s representation in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

“I have written to President Cyril Ramaphosa setting out several changes to the Democratic Alliance’s representation in the National Executive,” he said.

He said that Aucamp, who is currently the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, will replace John Steenhuisen as Minister of Agriculture.

“During his tenure, Minister Steenhuisen spearheaded the expansion of market access for South Africa’s agricultural products,” Hill-Lewis said.

“He also made progress in the procurement and distribution of vaccines for the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.”

It was widely speculated that Steenhuisen’s friction with farmers and his state-controlled strategy regarding the FMD outbreak hurt the DA.

Steenhuisen opposed many private-sector initiatives to fight the disease and became involved in numerous legal battles against the private sector and farmers.

More recently, an email from Jana Le Roux, special advisor to Steenhuisen, sparked widespread outrage among South African farmers.

This was because she described a serious engagement letter from the private-sector group FMD Response SA as “some amusement”.

Aucamp’s task will be to resolve these issues and build a strong relationship with farmers and the private sector.

“Minister Aucamp’s immediate mandate is to resolve ongoing legal proceedings relating to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak,” Hill-Lewis said.

“He must work with the entire sector to overcome the crisis and restore confidence through accelerated practical steps to bring the crisis under control.”

Agriculture Minister-designate Willie Aucamp opens up about his new job

Aucamp, who previously served as the DA’s spokesperson on Agriculture, told Nuuspod that he was excited to take over as Minister of Agriculture.

He would not be drawn into a discussion about Steenhuisen’s tenure as Agriculture Minister, saying it is a waste of energy to evaluate blame for previous leaders.

“It is going to be about what unique qualities Willie Aucamp brings to the table that can move our farmers and our country’s agriculturalists forward,” he said.

His focus will be on fighting the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak through an inclusive approach and bringing people together.

“Listen to smart people, get people around a table, and especially where people disagree,” he said.

He said that South Africa has enough vaccines, but most are sitting in freezers in a cold chain and aren’t getting into the cattle on the farm.

“We now have to look at how we can make that rollout easier, how we can get it to farmers on the farms, and how that thing is applied under control,” he said.

He explained that the problem is that many people think the national government handles the rollout of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines.

“The reality is that state veterinarians do not work for the national department. They work for the province. That is where the problem enters,” he said.

He said that with the exception of the Western Cape, the provinces do not have the capacity to roll out the vaccines.

“That is what I am going to talk to our farmers about. This is not a negotiation, but a planning session, a brainstorming session, a strategic meeting,” he said.

Let the farmers farm

Aucamp said that an important thing for the Minister of Agriculture is to allow South Africa’s farmers to farm the way they know how.

“Our farmers are excellent farmers. They are the best in the world, and they know exactly what they are doing,” he said.

“The South African government must not come and stand in the farmer’s way with regulations or red tape.”

“We must make it easy for the farmer to be able to farm. That is the government’s responsibility, and that is what I commit myself to.”

He added that entering a state department means inheriting a staff contingent shaped by historical ANC governance.

He will conduct structural evaluations of personnel to ensure that underperforming officials do not impede the success of the agricultural sector.