AfriForum accuses Agriculture Minister of ‘treason’ over foot and mouth disease vaccine dispute

AfriForum has accused Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen and his department of acting against the interests of South African livestock farmers and consumers in their handling of the procurement of vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

In a strongly worded statement, the civil rights organisation claimed that the department’s actions regarding the importation and distribution of the FMD vaccine amount to “treason” against the country’s agricultural sector.

According to AfriForum, the controversy centres on the role of private company Design Biologix, which holds an exclusive agency contract with Argentine manufacturer Biogénesis Bagó to import and distribute the FMD vaccine in South Africa.

“The Minister knows that the government is ineffective and that the private sector is effective. Yet he chose the ineffective government over the private sector by having the Department of Agriculture covertly apply pressure to exclude Design Biologix from the process,” said Lambert de Klerk, AfriForum’s manager for Environmental Affairs.

Design Biologix said in a statement: “We were informed by the Argentinian vaccine supplier on 2 February 2026 that, following their meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and department officials on 22 January 2026, the Department of Agriculture has decided that it prefers that the vaccine supplier not work with intermediaries and that Design Biologix should therefore not act as their agent.

“The Department has, however, negotiated to obtain the vaccine directly from them. We wish the government, every farmer, feedlot and dairy the very best in obtaining vaccines as quickly as possible to bring this ruinous disease under control.”

The dispute comes amid ongoing concern about the impact of foot and mouth disease outbreaks on South Africa’s livestock industry, which have led to trade restrictions and severe financial strain on farmers and the agricultural economy as a whole.

The Agriculture ministry had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.

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