Willie Aucamp announces new foot-and-mouth disease strategy

South Africa’s new Minister of Agriculture, Willie Aucamp, has announced a turnaround on one of the department’s highly criticised policies.

Aucamp has announced that private groups can now procure and administer their own foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines.

The FMD outbreak has been devastating for South Africa’s cattle industry, leading to widespread revenue losses for farmers.

Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Jan de Villiers said the announcement would be a “game-changer in the fight against FMD.”

The decision was reached after Aucamp met with agricultural representatives, including the chairperson of the South African Agricultural Initiative, Theo de Jager.

The meeting led all parties involved to agree on a new approach to the FMD vaccination process.

“This agreement opens up the market and gives private entities the right to import and distribute vaccines,” De Villiers said. “The DA calls on private sector rolepayers to now import these vaccines at scale.”

The decision does not grant farmers full freedom. They will still have to comply with all relevant biosecurity, tracing, and reporting requirements.

The private sector is being engaged to accelerate the FMD vaccination process and help contain South Africa’s ongoing outbreak.

Groups such as FMD Response SA have said that mass vaccination campaigns are the best response to the outbreak and require public and private groups to work together.

Aucamp’s decision represents a change from the department’s previous policy, where the state had total control over the vaccination process.

Previously, private groups, including farmers and veterinarians, were not allowed to access or administer FMD vaccines.

This decision sparked outrage from many agricultural groups, who said the private sector was capable of handling the administration process itself.

They argued that private veterinarians and farm workers are experts in their fields and should not be excluded from the fight against FMD.

A change from Steenhuisen’s policies

Aucamp’s decision to reverse the Department of Agriculture’s position on vaccinations comes shortly after the removal of the previous Agricultural Minister.

Former DA leader John Steenhuisen took up the ministerial position in 2024, following the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU).

His ministerial tenure ended on 30 June 2026 when a cabinet reshuffle was announced, demoting him to the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition.

The change in Ministers was called for by DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis after several controversies plagued Steenhuisen’s time in the role.

The most notable issue was Steenhuisen’s handling of the FMD outbreak, which was projected to cost the agricultural sector an estimated R13 billion.

This projection came from a study which noted that FMD outbreaks would be devastating for the sector’s production value and export revenue.

Under Steenhuisen’s leadership, the Department of Agriculture took sole control of the administration and procurement of FMD vaccines.

His department repeatedly denied private groups’ requests to administer their own vaccines and insisted on a state-controlled solution.

Critics of this approach noted that it ran counter to the DA’s belief in minimising government involvement and empowering the private sector.

Steenhuisen’s approach drew mounting criticism from farming groups, including FMD Response SA.

A leaked email revealed that Steenhuisen’s chief of staff, Jana le Roux, responded poorly to the group’s requests to meet with the department.

This controversy added fuel to the fire for those calling for Steenhuisen’s removal as Agricultural Minister.

Hill-Lewis publicly backed Steenhuisen’s state-controlled vaccine rollout, but he later requested a cabinet reshuffle, which removed him from the position.

While the DA has not publicly denounced Steenhuisen’s vaccination policies, Aucamp’s recent decision runs completely counter to them.

Aucamp’s decision represents a shift towards letting the private sector operate with minimal government involvement, an idea which the DA frequently promotes.