Some people don’t give a damn about the livestock industry and what happens to it. They just want to make a quick buck and don’t care how they do it, said Dewald Olivier, CEO of the Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), at the national congress of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) in Pretoria.
By Charl van Rooyen, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
“Footprints” was the congress theme and various experts spoke about specific topics, including Olivier, whose theme was “Footprints in the primary sector”.
He said everyone in the red meat industry needs each other and must work together and stand together for sustainable success, because unity is strength. So choose cooperation rather than competition. This is true again now with the fight against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) that affects the whole of South Africa. Real growth in the sector is only possible if everyone in the value chain works together. Without primary production there is no value chain, but without the rest of the value chain, such as the feedlots, abattoirs and exporters, there is no market, consumer confidence and protection against diseases. No one will win if the other is under pressure.
The virus is messing with producers’ minds and there is sometimes fear in farmers’ eyes about what could happen in the future. This also affects feedlots. “We need to stand together and decide to concentrate on the things we agree on rather than on the little things we disagree on. Otherwise, the little things we disagree on will kill the big things we agree on.” The rest of Africa is afraid of what is happening in South Africa. They see problems like foot-and-mouth disease.
What is essential is:
- Traceability that keeps markets open, combats stock theft and strengthens disease control.
- Disease reporting that ensures the RMIS can act quickly and with certainty to manage disease outbreaks.
- Market information that puts facts in the hands of farmers so that they can make better marketing decisions.
- Biosecurity officers who keep a watchful eye and are equipped with the authority to act when there is illegal movement of livestock so that the value chain can be protected.
Olivier said there will always be highs and lows. No part of the value chain is profitable at all times. “The smart move is to use the good years to plan for the bad years by building up reserves. It is not about thinking like a business in isolation, but about building resilience together so that the entire value chain can survive.”
Price disputes as such will not solve the problems; rather the will to work together strategically by complying with biosecurity, using industry tools and using accurate information to consistently deliver high-quality products so that South Africa can maintain its high-value markets.
