Wildfires threaten sensitive North West World Heritage site
Thousands of hectares of veld were destroyed and the Magaliesberg Biosphere Reserve threatened when a wildfire broke out in the Magaliesberg mountains in North West in the fourth week of September.
SA lost 250 rhinos to poaching in first half of 2021
Fighting rhino poaching in South Africa is as much about combatting organised crime as are efforts to dismantle the syndicates behind drug trafficking, arms smuggling, cash-in-transit heists, robberies of gold, and human trafficking.
Avian influenza setback for poultry master plan
More than 2,7 million chickens have been culled so far in South Africa due to the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak, which is affecting commercial layer and, to a lesser extent, broiler breeder and commercial broiler flocks.
Heritage Day 2021: Why you’ll need a big budget to braai
To celebrate Heritage Day, also known as National Braai Day, on Friday, 24 September, the order in which budget-conscious consumers should choose meat for the braai is pork, chicken or beef, and only then mutton or lamb.
World champion Boer goat ram sold for R500 000
The world champion boer goat ram, ‘Maserati’, bred by the Lukas Burger Boer Goat stud near Griekwastad, was recently sold for a record price of R500 000 to Salmon van Huyssteen Boer Goats near Pretoria and the Joubert Horn Boer Goat Stud near Vryburg.
Millions of litres of fuel being stolen from Transnet pipelines
The theft of fuel from the Transnet pipeline network is an enormous problem in South Africa, according to Christo van der Rheede, Agri SA’s executive director.
Farmers warned to be on the lookout for brown locust outbreaks
There are fears that this season could see some of the worst infestations of brown locusts (Locustana pardalina) in South Africa on record.
Market access and infrastructure troubles impede agri growth
The agriculture sector is expected to expand 7,6% year-on-year in 2021, but in the long term growth is expected to decline.
Forced cullings cost livestock producers millions
While farmers are forced by state veterinarians to slaughter chickens, pigs and cattle to prevent the spread of some diseases, government is compensating only a few of those producers.
New high-altitude national park for Eastern Cape
Work is under way to establish a high-altitude national park in the Eastern Cape mountains close to the Lesotho border.
SA’s agribusiness confidence wanes in the third quarter
South African agribusiness leaders remain optimistic about trading conditions, albeit slightly less so than they were earlier this year.
Didiza announces partial lifting of FMD controls in KZN
The Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) has welcomed the reduction in the size of the disease management area (DMA) for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in KwaZulu-Natal.
