Those in government will have to carefully allocate their resources and time in the current moment when there are so many urgent matters that require their participation and efforts.
Don’t forget, the foot and mouth disease that we discussed extensively these past few weeks is still very much a challenge. The government, organised agriculture, and private sector collaboration that many highlighted in their various agricultural gatherings remain a valid and essential idea to pursue.
I am raising this issue because I often fear that as time passes, we may all focus on U.S. trade matters and ignore some of the persistent domestic challenges. Indeed, the trade friction issues are urgent and present notable costs to the affected businesses. But for us to export widely to the world, we have to strengthen both plant and animal health.
We have fallen short in this area in recent years, and now rely on some imported vaccine for foot and mouth disease. The capability we had at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) was a victim of some shortcomings of the past.
But at the Biosecurity Conference held in June 2025 at the University of Pretoria, there was recognition that we needed to rebuild this capacity, leaning on the private sector, government and academia, amongst other stakeholders. There was a similar sentiment at the foot and mouth disease indaba hosted by the Department of Agriculture in July 2025. The conclusion of these gatherings and the resolutions are not the end of the road but the starting point.
We need now, more than ever, increased focus on supporting the cattle farmers and beef producers who continue to experience significant financial losses. The work of widescale vaccination, practical cooperation between farming businesses and the State Veterinary Scientists in various provinces, amongst other regulators, is key in ensuring the sector survives the current challenges. The livestock and poultry industries are crucial to South Africa’s farming economy, accounting for half of the sector’s gross value added.
The point I raised in the previous letters remains, which is that we must also assess the possibility of allowing some private laboratories to be more involved in vaccine development, such as for the foot and mouth disease. Of course, these would have to follow specific guidelines set by the state. But the idea is to ensure we have the supplies of critical vaccines for the sector. We are seeing more disease outbreaks nowadays than in the past, and we must be ready for this new environment.
And while we typically focus on the livestock and poultry matters, we need a similar focus on plant health. For South Africa to continue exporting to the EU, broader Africa, Asia, and other regions of the world, meeting plant health standards is key. We also need to be better prepared for any potential disease outbreaks that may present challenges to our sector. This too requires an effective and continuous collaboration between the government, organised agriculture and the private sector.
I am raising these issues now as I fear that our focus on the U.S. issues, which indeed are urgent, must not mean a lesser focus on other matters. Those leading various teams in government will need to ensure that all the work continues simultaneously, and the outcomes of the biosecurity gatherings are followed through.
We have a tendency in South Africa of not following through with our plans, and biosecurity can’t fall victim to that; it is central to the survival of our farming sector and the access to the new markets that we are currently debating as part of the export diversification following our troubles in the U.S. market.
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