This comes at a time when Botswana’s cattle genetics are earning international recognition. Leadwood Limousins, whose animals were bred by La Rhone Limousins in South Africa, won the 2025 Champion of the World title for the best Limousin bull with Cockpit LR2179, after their cow, Bubble LR2087, was named the world’s best Limousin female in 2024.
The competition, founded by internationally renowned cattle judge and consultant PJ Budler, attracted more than 1 950 entries from 93 countries representing 16 breeds. The results highlight the global competitiveness of the genetics developed in Botswana and breeders’ dedication to genetic improvement.
Economics of stud breeding
Producing breeding cattle requires years of planning and substantial financial investment long before a single animal can be sold.
Jan Stiglingh, president of the Limousin Cattle Breeders’ Society of Southern Africa and owner of Leadwood Limousins in Botswana’s Tuli Block, told Farmer’s Weekly that a single embryo flushing and transfer costs about P25 000 (around R30 130), with no guarantee of success.
“We prepare about 100 recipient cows. On the day of implantation, only about half are ready to receive an embryo, and of those, only 40% to 50% conceive. By the time the calves are born, you might only end up with about 18 animals,” he explained.
But the embryo programme is only the beginning.
“The veterinary costs are relatively small. The biggest expense is feeding and developing those animals. To justify that investment and make even a small profit, a breeder needs to sell a bull for at least P60 000 (around R72 000),” Stiglingh said.
Genetics trade under pressure
This investment has become increasingly difficult to recover. The prolonged disruption caused by FMD restrictions has left many commercial cattle farmers without income for months. With producers focused on clearing a backlog of slaughter-ready cattle and rebuilding their cash flow, investment in breeding stock has largely been postponed.
“Who is going to pay [P60 000] in this market? Because of the FMD slaughter restrictions, nobody has money. Everybody wants improved genetics, but nobody can afford them,” Stiglingh said.
The outbreak has also disrupted the flow of genetics into Botswana.
Stiglingh said he had purchased stud cattle in South Africa for his Botswana operation five years ago, but the animals could not be imported because Botswana’s animal health regulations prohibit the importation of breeding animals from countries with a lower animal health status.
To date, no veterinary protocol has been established between the two countries to facilitate such imports.
Unable to bring the cattle into Botswana, Stiglingh eventually purchased a farm in South Africa, as the animals could no longer remain on the breeders’ farms.
“There are excellent genetics elsewhere in the world, but South African genetics are particularly valuable because the animals are already adapted and suited to our production environment,” he said.
He explained that Brahmans dominate Botswana’s commercial beef industry because of their adaptability. Crossing them with Limousins combines that adaptability with improved growth rates and carcass characteristics through hybrid vigour. The Limousin’s F94L gene produces small calves that grow fast, resulting in higher weaner rates and a higher slaughter percentage.
Exports at a standstill
While Botswana breeders have been unable to import new bloodlines, they have also lost access to international markets for the genetics they have already developed.
According to Stiglingh, like their South African counterparts, Botswana-bred Limousins have developed a reputation for their adaptability in all areas of Botswana, even the Sandveld, making them well suited to extensive grazing systems and attracting interest from international buyers.
However, FMD-related restrictions have effectively closed those export opportunities.
“We have genetics that international buyers want, but at the moment we simply cannot get them to those markets due to the lack of suitable quarantine facilities for semen tapping and embryo flushing,” he explained.
Despite the challenges, Stiglingh said breeders fully support measures to control FMD, but they need greater certainty about the future.
“We understand the importance of protecting Botswana’s animal health status. What breeders need now is clarity about the future so that we can continue investing with confidence.”
