A leaked internal Department of Agriculture email that mocked a request from farmers seeking engagement on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) crisis has reignited debate
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What appears to be a leaked internal Department of Agriculture email that mocked a request from farmers seeking engagement on the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) crisis has reignited debate over the government's handling of the outbreak and its relationship with the agricultural sector.
The email, allegedly sent by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s chief of staff, described the correspondence from FMD Response SA as being received “for some amusement”.
The group had written to the government requesting engagement on vaccination strategy and efforts to contain the disease.
As backlash continued to mount on Tuesday, Steenhuisen distanced himself from the email, saying it originated from a ministry staff member and was “in bad taste”.
He said he had requested the person involved to apologise to the affected parties and called for mutual respect and collaboration between government and industry.
"I note an email originating from a ministry staff member. The email was in bad taste, and I have requested the person concerned to apologise to the respective parties," Steenhuisen said.
"We must continue to show mutual respect and always act in good faith, because it is only through collaboration that we can overcome major obstacles in the sector."
The controversy comes as FMD Response SA continues to push for access to vaccines for private veterinarians, saying that faster vaccination is needed to bring the outbreak under control.
In a statement on Tuesday, the group called on the department to release imported FMD vaccines directly to private veterinarians, saying the current distribution system is slowing the rollout and leaving many farmers without access.
"While millions of vaccines have been imported, only at most 4.4 million or 31% of the 14 million cattle in SA have been vaccinated, revealing a clear need for the Department of Agriculture to work with the private sector to drastically speed up the roll-out of vaccination," the group said.
"The recent Pretoria High Court ruling on FMD vaccination affirmed that private sector participation in the procurement, distribution and administration of FMD vaccines is lawful and should form part of South Africa’s broader response to the outbreak."
The group added that "currently, the government determines which organisations and farmers receive vaccines, leaving many livestock owners without access and the country no closer to eradicating the disease".
"We welcome new reports that more feedlots have received vaccines, but FMD Response SA exists to ensure every single farmer can access vaccines timeously, and there are hundreds of commercial farmers still waiting for vaccines.
"There is also a misconception circulating in some quarters that the private distribution of FMD vaccines is not possible due to conditions attached to the Section 21 import permit. This is untrue. The import permits allow the Director of Animal Health to distribute vaccines to whomever she chooses. This has already been demonstrated."
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