In a move that threatens to upend Botswana’s agricultural landscape, two of the country’s largest beef feedlot operators have filed an urgent High Court application against the government.
J S Beef and Primefast, which together account for nearly 30 percent of Botswana’s coveted European Union beef quota, charge that recent decisions by veterinary authorities have been reckless and shortsighted, pushing the industry toward collapse.
The legal challenge, lodged in Gaborone’s High Court, names the Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Kobedi Segale, and the Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr. Edwin Dikoloti, as the primary respondents.
At the core of the dispute are disease control orders enacted following Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks earlier this year. While the applicants do not contest the government’s right to manage the outbreak, they maintain that the current restrictions amount to a “death sentence” for their businesses.
The financial burden outlined in court documents is staggering. Since January 2026, the two companies have spent a combined P27.8 million feeding cattle that should have been slaughtered months ago. Some 6,609 animals are now overdue for slaughter by 100 to 200 days.
“If relief is not granted I will lose everything I have built over 40 years,” said Jan Stephanus Strumpher, managing director of J S Beef, in his founding affidavit. “The only humane action will be to destroy the cattle… The applicants do not have the financial means to dispose of the carcasses either, which could lead to a health crisis.”
The applicants warn that feed supplies will run out by mid-August, at which point the destruction of thousands of cattle will become unavoidable.
A key issue in the lawsuit is the recent adjustment of movement controls by the Directorate of Veterinary Services, which now permits slaughter only for heat-treated and canned meat. The feedlot operators argue there is no scientific justification for this policy, especially since their herds have been vaccinated up to three times.
They also highlight what they describe as inconsistent enforcement: while cattle slaughter is confined to canning, piggeries outside containment zones have been allowed to slaughter without these restrictions. Meanwhile, the Botswana Meat Commission has informed farmers that its canning facilities are so limited it would take two years to process the current backlog of feedlot cattle.
The court papers portray a government that has systematically ignored repeated calls for dialogue.
Strumpher recalls a January meeting where he asked Dr. Segale, “What if FMD hits us, what then?” He says the question went unanswered. Subsequent attempts to reach the Director and the Minister via WhatsApp reportedly went unanswered as well.
The applicants also question the legality of the Minister’s role in the decisions. They argue that, under the Diseases of Animals Act, only the Director of Veterinary Services has the statutory authority to declare infected zones and restrict movement. They contend that any involvement by the Minister renders the orders unlawful and subject to being overturned.
The crisis extends beyond these two companies. Together, they employ 94 people who support roughly 500 dependents. The feedlots have also stopped purchasing young cattle, or weaners, from local communal farmers for seven months, cutting off a vital income for more than 25,000 small-scale suppliers.
“This will all very soon lead to irreparable damage to, if not the downfall of, the Botswana beef industry,” the affidavit warns.
The applicants seek immediate interim relief to lift the canning restrictions and permit the slaughter or export of their cattle to willing buyers in South Africa or the Democratic Republic of Congo. Without court intervention, they warn, banks that have already refused further credit will move to liquidate their assets, ending decades of contribution to one of Botswana’s largest industries.