Small livestock farmers in the Free State ‘besieged’ by thieves

Farmers in the Phuthaditjhaba district of the Free State are left at the mercy of stock thieves, with little or no support from the South African Police Service (SAPS).

‘Lack of access to machinery hampering developing farmers’

Developing farmers who struggle to gain access to machinery at the right time during the production process should consider hiring a contractor, rather than buying their own equipment.

Plant-based ‘dairy’ fails to convert Australian milk-drinkers

Despite large investments in the manufacture of plant-based ‘milk’ products in Australia, only about 2% of Australian households regularly use them.

‘Mandatory EU alcohol labelling unlikely to impact SA wine exports’

Although the adoption of recommendations to make health warnings mandatory on all alcoholic drinks in Europe could initially result in additional costs, it is not expected to have a major impact on South African wine producers.

Wildlife attacks on Botswanan farmers increasing

Cases of wildlife attacks on farmers and their livestock in Botswana could increase as the government struggles to maintain fences that control the movement of dangerous wild animals in wildlife management areas.

Former Tongaat Hulett executives released on bail in fraud case

A culture of deference and a lack of challenging authority at Tongaat Hulett Limited (THL) resulted in employees following instructions without questioning the basis for accounting practices, according to an investigation by auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

‘Ramaphosa’s SONA pronouncements need to be turned into action’

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA 2022), on Thursday, 10 February, has been met with mixed reactions from stakeholders in the local agriculture sector.

Call to halt captive breeding of all big cat species

Animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS is urging government to include all big cat species, including tigers, in its new protective legislation for lions, and prohibit the commercial trade in all big cats and their body parts.

‘Minimum wage increase could cripple smaller farmers’

Small- and medium-sized horticulture farmers, in particular, will be worst affected by the recently announced increase in the national minimum wage, according to Mariette Hugo, Hortgro’s group operations manager.

SONA 2022: ‘Economically sound actions needed to drive agri growth’

Outlining their expectations for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), scheduled for Thursday, 10 February, agricultural associations agreed that more action and less talk about economic recovery was needed.

Fears mounting about renewed FMD outbreak in KZN

Farmers in the Mtubatuba district of KwaZulu-Natal are “hoping and praying” that the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) case detected at a dip tank in the previously reduced Disease Management Area (DMA) does not mean the disease has spread further.

‘Rising Russia-Ukraine tension could affect SA wheat price’

Although the current political tensions between Russia and Ukraine have not yet spilled over to global agricultural commodity markets, it could have serious implications for the rest of the world.

Billions in farming insurance pay-outs weigh on US taxpayers

Between 1995 and 2020, farmers in the US received more than US$143,5 billion (about R2,2 trillion) in federal crop insurance pay-outs, much of it subsidised by taxpayers.

World Wetlands Day: SA farmers praised for wetland conservation

Wetlands and the essential role these areas play is often overlooked, neglected and abused.

‘Turn-around strategy needed for SA’s malting barley industry’

South Africa’s malting barley production fell 95 000t short of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (AB InBev) 360 000t-mandate during the past season, due to farmers rather planting crops with lower risk, such as canola and wheat.

‘Interest rate increase not all doom and gloom for agri sector’

The latest increase in the repo rate as announced by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) should curb inflation, which could hold more benefits than disadvantages for South African agriculture in the long term.

Heavy rain puts a damper on SA’s maize crop estimate

South African growers have planted around 2,6 million hectares of maize this summer season, 5,29% less than the 2,7 million hectares planted in the previous season, the Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) announced on 27 January.

New EU rules will help farmers prevent costly disease outbreaks

A more streamlined approvals process for veterinary products in the EU, particularly those used for more uncommon species of farm animals or diseases, will make vaccines and veterinary medicines more cost-effective for smaller farming operations.

Farmers warned against illegal veterinary practitioners

Livestock owners should take care to only make use of veterinarians and veterinary technicians who are registered with the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC).

Disaster classification brings hope for flood-stricken farmers

Organised agriculture has widely welcomed the National Disaster Management Centre’s recent classification of severe rainfall and flooding experienced in parts of the country as a national disaster.

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