Amid a devastating Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak in South Africa, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are demanding accountability from Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, citing problems with vaccination efforts that threaten livestock farmers and national food security.
Image: File
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has vowed to pursue vigorous parliamentary action to secure compensation for livestock farmers following what it describes as a devastating spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) across South Africa.
In a statement, the party laid the blame for the current agricultural crisis squarely at the feet of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen. The red berets cited "incompetence" and a "dangerously inadequate" vaccination programme as the primary drivers of the outbreak.
"The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) notes with concern the continued spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) across South Africa and the devastating impact the slow vaccination process is having on livestock farmers, rural livelihoods, and the broader agricultural economy," the party said.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats, causing severe production losses and the culling of infected animals. While the disease rarely kills adult cattle, the EFF warned that its impact on productivity, milk production, and trade is "catastrophic" and poses a direct threat to national food security.
The party noted that South Africa currently has a national herd estimated at approximately 14 million cattle, yet the state’s vaccination programme remains "dangerously inadequate" relative to the scale of the crisis.
"The government itself has previously reported that only hundreds of thousands of animals have been vaccinated during key phases of the outbreak response, far below what is required to meaningfully protect the national herd," the EFF stated.
The consequences of this failure are reportedly being felt across the agricultural value chain. The outbreak has affected hundreds of thousands of cattle and forced the culling of large numbers of animals in an attempt to contain the disease, while export markets have imposed bans on South African meat products due to biosecurity concerns.
The EFF argued that the country continues to rely heavily on imported vaccines while domestic production capacity remains limited, reflecting what they termed "years of neglect and poor planning."
The party further slammed the leadership of the ministry, stating: "This vaccine crisis exposes the lack of urgency and strategic leadership within the department under the stewardship of Steenhuisen, whose party has sought to project itself as competent in governance."
Consequently, the EFF confirmed it will demand accountability from the Minister for failures in vaccine procurement and disease containment.
"The EFF will therefore pursue this matter vigorously in Parliament. Furthermore, we will advance the need for compensation for all those who lost livestock in this outbreak due to negligence on behalf of the Agriculture ministry," the statement read.
For more stories from The Mercury, click the link THE MERCURY