Staff Reporter<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE congress of South Africa\u2019s Red Meat Producers\u2019 Organisation (RPO), held on 14 August, placed a strong emphasis on tackling Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and advancing growth in the livestock sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) President Thinus Pretorius, Livestock Producers\u2019 Organisation (LPO) Chairperson Jako van Wyk, and NAU Executive Manager Roelie Venter attended the event. Their participation also included meetings with the Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) on FMD, and discussions with GENDAC and AgriSA on a data project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A new RPO chairperson, Frik van Rooyen, was elected during the congress. Dr Dirk Verwoerd, Chief Veterinarian at Karan Beef, highlighted traceability as the key to unlocking both market access and growth. He cautioned that South Africa\u2019s FMD status remains classified as \u201cinfected\u201d and warned that mass vaccination is not sufficient, as only about 10% of cattle show symptoms of SAT-type FMD. He stressed the importance of targeted vaccination to curb the spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RMIS\u2019s Dewald Olivier said that sustainable sector growth depends on full value-chain collaboration and called for a regional plan to achieve FMD-free status across the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He revealed that South Africa exported a surplus of 36,000 tons of beef in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Government representatives reiterated that biosecurity is a national priority and pledged to work with SADC partners. Action plans include vaccine development and free distribution to farmers through state veterinarians. Negotiations with the USA on beef tariffs are underway, while the upcoming G20 summit is expected to provide an opportunity to influence the global agricultural agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Jan Greyling of Stellenbosch University underscored agriculture\u2019s contribution to the economy, noting that the sector accounted for 13.3% of GDP in 2024 and employed around one million people, largely due to citrus expansion. He described agriculture as the \u201cengine of growth,\u201d with a multiplier effect of 2.74.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On market opportunities, Dr Nicolette Hall of Cavalier Abattoir said Sub-Saharan Africa\u2019s cattle herd matches that of the United States but produces only 10% of its output. Cavalier, South Africa\u2019s largest sheep and fourth-largest cattle abattoir, supplies more than half of Woolworths\u2019 \u201cfree range\u201d lamb. She noted that meat remains the retailer\u2019s main sales driver, with more than 60% of its customers buying meat, which accounts for 95% of Woolworths\u2019 total sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The congress proved highly informative, offering valuable insights and direction for the future of the red meat industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo: BKB<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Staff Reporter THE congress of South Africa\u2019s Red Meat Producers\u2019 Organisation (RPO), held on 14 August, placed a strong emphasis on tackling Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and advancing growth in the livestock sector. Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) President Thinus Pretorius, Livestock Producers\u2019 Organisation (LPO) Chairperson Jako van Wyk, and NAU Executive Manager Roelie Venter attended the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":380655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-380651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n