According to Von Maltitz, red meat was considered a luxury in South Africa.
She added that traceability was becoming more important for consumers, as they were becoming increasingly concerned with where and how their meat was produced.
“Production is currently higher than consumption; this is not because people don’t want to eat red meat, but because they can’t afford it,” she said.
She added that exporting meat was critical for the survival and expansion of the industry. However, foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) remained a pressing concern and hampered South Africa’s ability to expand into other export markets.
In order to overcome the problem of FMD, a national traceability system, as implemented abroad in Australia, the US and Brazil, was essential.
“The only way we’re going to make any headway in the red meat industry is for role players [producers and feedlots] to move closer to each other and stop blaming each other for the problems in the industry. […] If all role players unite, we will be able to improve the industry,” she said.
