Saai

“A policy or practice is not law.” The court confirmed that the state failed to show where a lawful prohibition on private FMD vaccination existed. The Minister must stop misrepresenting the judgment. Read more on our website, saai.org/press-releases/mini…

Die hof het beslis: die staat het boere in die steek gelaat in die stryd teen BKS. Hierdie uitspraak is ’n oorwinning vir elke vee- en wildboer wat moes ly onder gesloer, magsmisbruik en onbevoegdheid. Nou begin die werklike oorlog teen BKS. #BekEnKlouseer #BKS #Saai #Familieboere #VeeBoere #Landbou #SouthAfricanAgriculture #Boere #FMD

Die hof het beslis: die staat het boere in die steek gelaat in die stryd teen BKS. Hierdie uitspraak is ’n oorwinning vir elke vee- en wildboer wat moes ly onder gesloer, magsmisbruik en onbevoegdheid. Nou begin die werklike oorlog teen BKS. #BekEnKlouseer #BKS #Saai #Familieboere #VeeBoere #Landbou #SouthAfricanAgriculture #Boere #FMD

Thousands of cattle moving through towns and across the country, while farmers are still not empowered to vaccinate their own livestock. You cannot manage a national biosecurity risk with a centralized approach alone. If we are serious about stopping the spread of FMD, we need practical solutions, and that means enabling farmers to be part of the response.

Amper ’n jaar onder kwarantyn. Geen verkope. Beperkings bly in plek. Dit is die realiteit op grondvlak. 👉 bit.ly/borg-n-boer

The draft FMD vaccination scheme is now public. • National framework • Voluntary participation • Strict compliance + traceability • Oversight committee 𝟕 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 🔗 Read more: bit.ly/agriculture-report-20…

Land reform isn’t the problem. Poor implementation is. When the process fails, the intended beneficiaries lose.

The court has set a deadline. Government must publish a formal vaccination scheme by 17 April 2026. Until then, the current system remains in place: Vaccine access remains constrained The rollout continues under existing conditions The next step will depend on what is formally published.

One minute before the case was argued, government filed a new affidavit. A draft vaccination scheme, after more than three months of delay. The court did not endorse it. The court ordered it to be published. The key issue remains unchanged: Will the final scheme enable practical solutions on the ground or restrict them?

Francois Rossouw, CEO of Saai, will be speaking at Agra Dynamica Day, where practical farming meets strategy. 📍 Farm Swartkroon, Hochfeld 📅 28 March If you’re serious about farming, this is where you need to be.

AI is no longer the future of farming, it’s happening now! @FrancoisRosso15 (CEO, Saai) speaking on: AI in Agriculture: from decision-making to profitability. 📍 Farm Godeis, Namibia 🕙 Friday ±10:00 #FamilyFarmers #Agriculture #AIinAgriculture

FMD case goes to court - 24 March Mediation failed. Now it’s up to the High Court. The ask is simple: Stop blocking private vaccine access. Farmers want to act. State capacity is limited. Should both not work together?

SANRAL should manage roads, not become a gatekeeper over lawful business activity on private land. Farmers, landowners and rural businesses: submit your objection here: bit.ly/STOPSANRAL #SouthAfrica #RuralBusiness #SANRAL

Our Chairman, @TheoDJager , takes the stage as a keynote speaker at Wildlife Ranching South Africa’s 20th Anniversary. Theo will unpack what, why and how of the Game Ranching Industry!

Saai CEO, @FrancoisRosso15 will be speaking at the Agri-Data Revolution Summit. The summit explores how data-driven tools and technology are improving decision-making in agriculture. Francois will contribute to this discussion by sharing the perspective of family farmers. facebook.com/share/1HgXfVhxt… #AgriDataSummit #AgricultureTechnology

A successful harvest at the Noga’s Post community vegetable project, within the Barolong Boo Seleka community under the leadership of Kgosi Gaboilelwe Moroka. Latest harvest: • 180 kg potatoes sold locally • 100 kg onions harvested • 40 bunches spinach supplied to the M. Malikoe School Support Project Strengthening food security through practical community agriculture. #FoodSecurity #RuralDevelopment Read the full media statement here: 🔗bit.ly/NogasPost

𝐒𝐚𝐚𝐢 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 Saai expresses its disappointment with the recent ruling of the Appeals Committee of the Press Council of South Africa concerning reporting on the Akkerland expropriation. Saai is deeply concerned about the ruling's implications for future journalistic practices. Reporting on the public risk of expropriation solely by reference to one or two final steps in the administration of an expropriation, such as registration of transfer in the Deeds Office or the payment of compensation (which, under the new Expropriation Act, may legally be set at zero), is disingenuous towards the actual content and consequences of state expropriation. 𝐒𝐚𝐚𝐢 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲, 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 and drawn into the full force of the state’s expropriation apparatus. From that point forward, property owners face immediate legal risks, potential financial ruin, and profound uncertainty about their future. In the real world, it is the individual farmer who must carry the full burden of resisting the state’s decision - each case a struggle between a single property owner who must fund his own defence against the expropriation machinery of government. Saai emphasises that the Appeals Committee’s decision 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 constitute a court ruling on the legal questions surrounding expropriation. As the Appeals Committee itself noted, its decision turned on whether the articles complained of contained a material omission that would amount to a breach of the Press Code. The finding falls wholly within the Press Council’s regulation of member publications and is not binding upon Saai or the public. As is evident from the differing legal conclusions reached by the Press Ombud, who in fact substantially agreed with Saai’s complaint, and the Appeals Committee, the legal questions involved are far from as clear-cut as some reporting may suggest. 𝐒𝐚𝐚𝐢 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬. To read the full judgement, follow the link below: bit.ly/News24-vs-SaaiJudgeme… To read the full complaint by Saai follow the link below: bit.ly/FindingComplaintSaaiv…

Today representatives from Saai and @Zoetis packed and shipped the first 110 support packages for farmers with cattle affected by Foot-and-Mouth Disease. This initiative, launched with Zoetis and @Buffelsfontein1 , provides farmers with critical treatment products to help care for infected animals. We are already preparing the second batch. Grateful as well to partners like Wiesenhof @4KobusWiese and Design Biologix for their significant contributions to this campaign.

Saai, is objecting to the joint declaration made by Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen and the German Federal Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Regional Identity during the latter’s recent visit to South Africa. In this declaration, the two ministers announced cooperation on the vaccination of livestock and wildlife against foot-and-mouth disease, including a commitment to explore the use of mRNA vaccine technology in livestock. Saai wants to state unequivocally that most South African cattle producers and consumers will strongly resist the introduction of mRNA vaccines into the herds across South Africa. The organisation believes that the science has not yet sufficiently demonstrated the long-term safety of mRNA technologies. These technologies were widely deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022, yet significant debate and unanswered questions remain regarding their broader medical consequences. Saai also notes that countries such as Russia and China largely avoided the widespread use of mRNA vaccines during the pandemic, and did not experience the same scale of unexplained medical concerns that have been raised elsewhere. Beyond the scientific debate, Saai warns that consumer confidence will be severely affected if mRNA technologies are introduced into livestock production. Millions of consumers who experienced the trauma of lockdowns and the severe infringement of personal freedoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, because they avoided vaccination with mRNA, will be deeply concerned about the possibility of being exposed to these technologies indirectly through the meat and milk they consume. This announcement also raises broader concerns within the farming community. Saai has previously challenged the Department of Agriculture and the Democratic Alliance on their policy direction regarding “fake meat”, particularly the regulations on meat analogues published in June 2025. Many farmers now view the potential introduction of mRNA vaccines into the livestock sector, alongside these regulatory developments, as part of a broader policy direction that could undermine traditional livestock production and place further pressure on family farmers. Recent events in Europe demonstrate how seriously farmers view such policy shifts. Hundreds of thousands of farmers in countries including the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany have taken to the streets to protest policies they believe threaten their livestock sectors. Saai will therefore spare no effort in demanding full transparency regarding any research, agreements or policy processes related to mRNA vaccine technologies in livestock. Farmers and consumers alike have the right to know exactly what technologies are being introduced into the food production system. Saai remains committed to protecting both producers and consumers from the introduction of technologies that may have uncertain consequences for animal health, animal products, and ultimately human consumers.

Vuyani Zigana has been farming since 2012. After an investigation confirmed he was treated unfairly, the national office approved that he be placed on another farm so he could continue farming. A letter from the minister authorised him to occupy the farm while the Department processed a long-term lease agreement. He followed the process. He submitted the required documents. He rebuilt his livestock. But after years of farming there, he has now received a letter saying he must leave because he is there “illegally.” Hear Vuyani’s story in his own words. This is not how land reform should work. Farmers need certainty. Without a lease agreement, farmers cannot invest, plant, or create jobs. Saai is standing with Vuyani.