As commercial farmers battling the devastating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak alongside thousands of others, we need to identify which agribusiness companies are genuinely standing with us in this fight. The silence from the corporate side of agriculture is deafening when it comes to condemning farm murders, rural killings, violence against farmers and workers, or publicly criticising the government’s mishandling of the FMD epidemic. Big agribusiness and mainstream industry bodies are sometimes highly vocal on land reform, export diversification (BRICS, AGOA), biosecurity protocols, stock theft stats, weather forecasts, infrastructure, and trade opportunities. They regularly highlight the sector’s strength—$15.1 billion in exports in 2025, half to Africa, making South Africa sub-Saharan Africa’s most food-secure nation.
Yet on the life-and-death issues that directly threaten us—brutal farm attacks (over 50 murders in 2025 per unofficial counts), torture, theft, and the FMD disaster (thousands of cattle infected across all nine provinces, quarantines, export bans, projected R25 billion losses over a decade)—these same powerful voices remain largely silent. This is the people - the farmers who put the product on the table.
Corporate statements, when they appear, are mild and generic: vague calls for “rural safety strategies” or “biosecurity improvements,” without naming the violence, demanding accountability, or blasting government failures such as ignored 2016/2021 task team warnings, 20 years without local vaccine production, or the exclusion of private importers and groups loudly demand privatisation of vaccination and call delays “treason,” but corporate agriculture stays measured—likely to protect partnerships, revenue streams, licences, approvals, and government access.
This selective advocacy is damaging. These companies earn billions annually from our hard work in feed, inputs, processing, and exports, yet rarely stand publicly beside us on issues that threaten our lives, livelihoods, and the entire value chain. Maybe it is time for all farmers and to take a hard look: which banks,companies, input suppliers,and agribusiness giants are willing to break the silence, unequivocally condemn farm killings and rural violence, demand real accountability on FMD mismanagement, and actively support the family and commercial farmers who generate their profits year after year?
WEEKEND-VIEWPOINT- South Africa's Inflation Frustrations: Facts as of February 2026 Without unity—from boardrooms to the grassroots—the divide will widen, risking the resilient sector that feeds the nation and drives its exports. Selective advocacy protects short-term profits but threatens the long-term future of South African agriculture. We need to see who is truly with us.
Ostrich politics — burying your head in the sand and pretending the crisis doesn’t exist, while the reality hits farmers hard every single day.The FMD epidemic is not just a veterinary problem; it is an economic and human crisis destroying thousands of families, workers, and communities. Dairies are shutting down, auction houses stand empty, exports disappear, and farmers can’t sell their livestock or even afford enough feed. This is not abstract statistics — these are people losing the work of a lifetime, children who can’t pay school fees, and communities falling apart.
This is not just ostrich politics from the government — it is starting to look like ostrich politics from corporate agriculture too. We need the agricultural companies to speak their voice,to assist.
Because if we stand together, we can overcome this crisis. If we are left alone, many of us will not survive.
There's a ton of unresolved drama and legitimate gripes swirling around South Africa's Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) when it comes to the ongoing Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) crisis and the role of Onderstepoort (likely referring to the Onderstepoort Biological Products or OBP, and the broader Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute/Research complex).
If we don’t resolve these problems soon, consumers will be the ones who ultimately pay the price — through higher food costs, shortages, and reduced quality.We need to put real pressure on the government to act quickly and decisively. The current delays, centralised control, and failure to use the private sector’s proven efficiency are not sustainable. Farmers are already suffering massive losses, dairies are closing, exports are blocked, and rural communities are breaking down — but the ripple effects will hit every household in South Africa very soon.
As of mid-February 2026, this stuff is bubbling up big time, with parliamentary probes, legal battles, farmer outrage, and media spotlights exposing what many see as years of mismanagement, delays, and opacity. The "dark" secrets—like alleged incompetence at state entities and slow crisis responses—are indeed coming to light through audits, lawsuits, and public outcries.
Let's break it down based on the latest developments. Time will tell. - But Farmers does not have time- and this pandemic wait for nobody.
and- be sure that South African Farmers had enough - they not talkers - promising makers - they will one day get into action and nobody will stop them.
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Watch 🎥 | Minister John Steenhuisen oversees the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination drive in the Western Cape, aimed at containing the #FMD outbreak and strengthening biosecurity to protect livestock and farmers.#StopFMD #ProtectingOurHerd #GovZAUpdates @GCISMedia… pic.twitter.com/IzriRsFULQ
— National Department of Agriculture (@DOAgov_ZA) February 15, 2026
