Laboratories that have to test blood samples for the possible occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are about a month behind due to the large number of samples received.
By Alani Janeke, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
This backlog in testing has largely arisen due to the large number of samples received. Dewald Olivier, CEO of the Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), says the body has offered its help, which has been accepted by the laboratories. He spoke to African Farming about the latest state of affairs in the industry.
Additional capacity will be brought in to help read in the data from the tests and process the blood samples more quickly, among other things.
“At this stage, we see the incidence of new outbreaks is somewhat stagnant.”
Olivier says incredibly good cooperation is maintained between the RMIS’s foot-and-mouth disease control centre and the government, specifically state veterinarians.
According to Olivier, stakeholders in the industry are meeting this week to discuss the industry plan, which was drawn up before the foot-and-mouth disease indaba. The government also met this week to discuss their plans, after which follow-up meetings will follow and John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, will appoint a task team.
Also read: FMD operations centre open
Second Red Meat Industry Report
Olivier shares with enthusiasm that the second red meat industry report will be released soon. The previous report was issued six months ago.
One of the findings of the new report is that beef production could decline significantly in 2025.
South Africa’s cattle and sheep industry has had many problems in the past five years. Rising feed costs, erratic weather, loadshedding, supply chain disruptions and global challenges such as Covid-19 have made it more difficult to remain profitable.
Farmers, feedlots and abattoirs have struggled with high input costs, while facing weaker consumer demand and tight profit margins.
In 2024, feed costs increased due to weather changes, and despite record exports, meat prices could not keep up with the increases, forcing many in the industry to adapt and reduce input consumption. The result was lower slaughter weights and increased production, mainly supported by increased slaughtering.
Although the late summer rains resulted in better maize and soybean crops for the 2024/25 grain production season, and consequently cheaper feed prices, beef production is expected to decline by 20 000 tonnes year-on-year in 2025 to 764 000 tonnes. At this production level, a surplus supply is still maintained.
Carcass weights are currently relatively low, with recovery dependent on the industry’s ability to recover from the current foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Exports And Foot-And-Mouth Disease
According to the report, the expansion of export markets, particularly to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan, supported record beef exports in 2024.
Signs of recovery began to show in the industry at the beginning of 2025, with export volumes reaching record highs in the first quarter of this year. However, the current FMD outbreaks are putting a damper on exports. China already banned meat exports from South Africa in May this year.
Due to the outbreak, the country missed the opportunity this year to sell its surplus production on international markets and thus benefit from the improvement in international beef prices.
Discussions on access to new markets are underway, but existing bilateral export agreements will need to be reaffirmed in many cases.
In terms of mutton, local mutton exports increased to 11 400 tonnes in 2024, mostly to the Middle East. Domestic demand has declined due to economic challenges and competition from other meats.
However, rising export prices could help keep this sector profitable, depending on developments around the current FMD outbreaks and events surrounding countries banning exports.
Stronger participation in the Middle Eastern markets, particularly for fresh lamb carcasses, presents an opportunity, although competition with Australia remains a factor.
According to the report, the FMD outbreaks are also likely to limit mutton export volumes and prices in 2025.
International Industry
International demand for beef increased significantly in 2024, with the world’s top three beef importers – China, America and Japan – increasing imports by 10.9% year-on-year.
This year, Brazil remains the top exporter of beef, with 2025 exports from this country expected to reach 3.8 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, Australia and New Zealand dominated global sheep meat exports, accounting for 72,7% of total exports in 2024.
Australia is expected to maintain strong exports this year, with demand from China and the Middle East driving prices higher and new trade opportunities emerging in the European Union and the United Kingdom.
