Publications
Partners
Cape Town - The extreme drought, that forced livestock farmers in many parts of the country to slaughter "up to a third" of their livestock, will lead to a serious shortage of red meat.
The drought, which is being compared to the one of 1933, is continuing longer and includes an ever increasing area.
James Faber, Northern Cape chairperson of the Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO) and a cattle farmer in the district of Barkly West, said farmers are slaughtering their pregnant cattle. Cows that calve are so weak that they cannot even get up.
"We're going to experience shortages of red meat. In five months' time there will be no lamb on the market. The cycle for cattle is different...there the shortages will set in over a period of 18 months," he said.
Farmers in increasing parts of the Northern Cape, North West and the Free State and parts of Namibia and Botswana continue to struggle on without the relief of any summer rain and with no money nor finance facilities to buy more feed.
"The game industry in the areas hit by drought is under just as much pressure. Amimals are dying and the game are very skinny," Faber said.
"An elderly man told me it is the driest ever since the time steel wire and plastic pipes were installed on farms. I have been farming for 23 years and have not seen anything like this."
Faber said drought conditions vary from one area to another.
"There are those who compare it to the drought of 1966, and others compare it to 1933's drought."
Johan van Rensburg, CEO of Agri Northern Cape, said the situation is still relatively good only in the districts of Sutherland, Fraserburg, Williston, Carnarvon and Victoria West. In the rest of the Northern Cape it is "dry to very dry".
Farmers who have, till now, been able to provide additional feed as a supplement cannot do so anymore.
"The natural feed has been exhausted and farmers cannot afford to only supply bought feed - cattle eat so much that a farmer could hardly afford to do this for a week," he said.
Johan van der Colff, a farmer in the district of Vanwyksvlei and deputy chair of the RPO Northern Cape, said farmers have already slaughtered their breeding stock on a large scale.
"There only remains a certain number of breeding stock when herds have to be rebuilt, and it will become terribly expensive."
Van der Colff said farmers in the areas of Pofadder and Aggeneys are also battling. The area has been declared a drought disaster area, but "help is mostly provided to emerging farmers".
What is Namibia and Botswana doing?
The drought in SA's neighboring countries is also not helping local farmers.
Abattoirs in Namibia are paying less for cattle and then bring the meat at cheaper price to South Africa.
Living animals are sent from Botswana to South Africa in terms of emergency permits and this is "messing up" the import system, reports Johan van der Colff.
* For news in Afrikaans see Die Burger.
The drought, which is being compared to the one of 1933, is continuing longer and includes an ever increasing area.
James Faber, Northern Cape chairperson of the Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO) and a cattle farmer in the district of Barkly West, said farmers are slaughtering their pregnant cattle. Cows that calve are so weak that they cannot even get up.
"We're going to experience shortages of red meat. In five months' time there will be no lamb on the market. The cycle for cattle is different...there the shortages will set in over a period of 18 months," he said.
Farmers in increasing parts of the Northern Cape, North West and the Free State and parts of Namibia and Botswana continue to struggle on without the relief of any summer rain and with no money nor finance facilities to buy more feed.
"The game industry in the areas hit by drought is under just as much pressure. Amimals are dying and the game are very skinny," Faber said.
"An elderly man told me it is the driest ever since the time steel wire and plastic pipes were installed on farms. I have been farming for 23 years and have not seen anything like this."
Faber said drought conditions vary from one area to another.
"There are those who compare it to the drought of 1966, and others compare it to 1933's drought."
Johan van Rensburg, CEO of Agri Northern Cape, said the situation is still relatively good only in the districts of Sutherland, Fraserburg, Williston, Carnarvon and Victoria West. In the rest of the Northern Cape it is "dry to very dry".
Farmers who have, till now, been able to provide additional feed as a supplement cannot do so anymore.
"The natural feed has been exhausted and farmers cannot afford to only supply bought feed - cattle eat so much that a farmer could hardly afford to do this for a week," he said.
Johan van der Colff, a farmer in the district of Vanwyksvlei and deputy chair of the RPO Northern Cape, said farmers have already slaughtered their breeding stock on a large scale.
"There only remains a certain number of breeding stock when herds have to be rebuilt, and it will become terribly expensive."
Van der Colff said farmers in the areas of Pofadder and Aggeneys are also battling. The area has been declared a drought disaster area, but "help is mostly provided to emerging farmers".
What is Namibia and Botswana doing?
The drought in SA's neighboring countries is also not helping local farmers.
Abattoirs in Namibia are paying less for cattle and then bring the meat at cheaper price to South Africa.
Living animals are sent from Botswana to South Africa in terms of emergency permits and this is "messing up" the import system, reports Johan van der Colff.
* For news in Afrikaans see Die Burger.
