By Lindi van Rooyen

Theft has kept livestock numbers from climbing and the industry has been shrinking steadily over the past ten years.

A study done by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) shows that livestock numbers are declining, with goats and sheep showing the biggest decline in ten years at 8% and 9% respectively. The study has shown that chicken is by far the biggest sector in agriculture, six times bigger than sheep farming.