The South African red meat industry must undergo significant renewal to address future challenges, says Kobus Bester, director of the Livestock Registering Federation.
He said revitalisation was not a choice, but a necessity. In order to remain resilient, sustainable and profitable, the time has come for red meat producers to take a critical look at the industry and how it is currently positioned in the broader agriculture value chain.
Speaking at a recent meeting of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) held at Nampo Alfa in Bothaville, he advised members to do some serious introspection to identify efficiencies.
“The RPO must take cognisance of the false narrative around it. This includes wrong perceptions, such as the organisation being responsible for the decrease in red meat prices, the movement of cattle from areas where foot-and-mouth disease is endemic, the fixing of weaner prices, and refusing to put a stop to the importation of weaners from Namibia,” he said.
“It is vitally important that such misconceptions be addressed as a matter of urgence,” Bester cautioned. He said the message had to be disseminated to all red meat producers that the organisation played no part in the decision-making around the movement of cattle, price movements or imports from Namibia, which was a government decision.
According to Bester, South African red meat producers are at a crossroads. It is of vital importance for them to know what the future direction of the organisation is going to be and to be able to make an informed decision whether they are able to identify with its goals or not.
It is also extremely important that members and prospective members are made fully aware of and be part of the route taken to realise future goals.
“The time has, for instance, come to pay serious consideration to the implementation of a red meat grading system according to which producers are remunerated for the quality of the beef produced instead of the current classification system where red meat is classed upon age and teeth, among others. Another challenge is the fact that although our red meat exports are on the increase, prices remain static,” he added.
