Highlights of SAPPO's AGM

PORCUSAug/Sep 2013 Vol 31 no 5

Highlights of SAPPO’s AGM

Latest on PRRS risk management

Serious issues discussed at provincial AGMs

August/September 2013 Vol 31 no 4

Up Front

Quick guide to Leptospirosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

SAPPO AGM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

SAPPO/KZN symposium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Vrytstaat AJV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

PPP AGM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

KVPV AJV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

KZN AGM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Latest on PRRS risk management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Update on the implementation of the PRRS import restrictions . . . . 32

KZN promotion team reaches many new consumers . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Many success stories at Baynesfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Alltech’s African lecture tour challenges agribusiness to embrace

new technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Rubrieke

Market conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Pondering Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

PORCUS is die amptelike tydskrifvan die Suid-Afrikaanse Varkvleispro-dusente-organisasie (SAVPO) .

Redaksionele Komitee),Barry Gibbs (voorsitter: SAVPO), James Jenkinson (vise-voorsitter: SAVPO), Si-mon Streicher (hoofbestuurder: SAVPO)

RedaksieDerick van der Walt (redakteur),Tel: (012) 332 1589 of 082 770 5111E-pos: ccomc@mweb .co .zaSalomé Schutte . Tel: (012) 329 3764Uitleg: Yolandé van Zyl

AdvertensiesDoreen Jonker, Millerstraat 3, Pierrevan Ryneveld 0157 .Tel (012) 662 1006 .Faks (012) 662 1006

Gedruk deurBusiness Print Centre, Pretoria .Uitgegee deur die Suid-AfrikaanseVarkvleisprodusente-organisasie,Posbus 36207, Menlo Park 0102 .Tel: (012) 361-3920 .Faks: (012) 361-4069E-mail: info@sapork .comWeb-bladsy: www .sapork .com

SAVPO aanvaar nie verantwoordelik-heid vir enige aanspraak wat inadvertensies en artikels gemaakword nie. Menings uitgespreek in artikels word nie noodwendig deur SAVPO onderskryf nie. Opinions expressed in articles arenot necessarily endorsed by SAPPO.

Porcus August/September 2013 3

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Cover: Shannon Miler Creative 2012

Porcus Augustus/September 20134

VOORGROND

Market conditions

VOORGROND

Market conditionsInformation supplied by Divan van der Westhuizen of the Bureau of Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP)

The South African population was estimated at 50 .74 mil-lion people in 2012 and is projected to increase to 53 .05 million in 2022 (BFAP, 2013) . Between 2000 and 2010, the average population growth rate was calculated at 1 .2 percent per annum and this rate is expected to decrease to 0 .4 percent per annum for the next decade . Popula-tion growth together with class mobility or consumers shifting to higher income groups does not only imply an increase in the demand for food, but also a change in the type of products that consumers are demanding . The lat-est projections from BFAP anticipate that consumption of pork meat will increase by 41 percent over the next dec-ade . Beef and chicken meat consumption will increase by 27 and 47 percent respectively . The consumption of sheep meat and eggs will increase by 16 and 33 percent respectively . Thus, these increases are not only driven by an increase in the South African population, but also due to the fact that a large percentage of the South African population is shifting towards higher income groups with the result of changing demand patterns .

Farm level analysis

Figure 1: Index for requisites and auction prices

The requisites and auction price index focuses on the pork auction price on the hook and the pork input cost index . The yellow maize price followed by the soybean cake price is the key drivers in the requisites index . The latest update from the BFAP pork industry analysis for September includes the latest projections based on the BFAP livestock model . The average projected pork price for 2013 is estimated at R18 .18/kg, an increase of nine percent year-on-year . The pork input requisites index is projected to increase by nearly nine percent from 2012 with an index value of 233 percent (base year = 2000) . Dry con-ditions in the Western parts of South Africa caused maize yields to decrease signifi cantly which impacted domestic balance sheet or stock levels which imply a higher maize price . The pork to maize price ratio as refl ected in Figure 2 serves as a profi tability indicator for pork producers. The indicator simply refl ects a ratio between the current yellow maize price as key feed ingredient and the pork price . A high ratio denotes higher profi t levels. The pork to maize price ratios for BP and PP products has increased by 3 .45 and 6 .99 percent respec-tively from July to August . This is mainly due to a sideways movement in the yellow maize price and fi rm increases in both the BP and PP pork price . The ratio values for BP and PP products in August were 8 .53 and 9 .05 respectively, on average 2 .65 points higher than in the same period in 2012 .

The international price for key grain- and oilseed tumbled since July due to favourable weather conditions in the United States (US) which boosted production confi dence (International Grains Council, August 2013) . It is currently expected that global grains output (wheat and coarse grains) will increase by eight percent in 2013/14 which is mainly driven by a ten percent increase in maize production and a four percent expansion in wheat . The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) is projecting that the US gulf price for maize could decrease from $316/ton in 2012/13 to $223/ton in 2013/14 . Domestically, this lower world price is partially off-set by a weaker Rand/US dollar exchange rate and the drought condi-tions that occurred in particularly the North West province and the western- and northern parts of the Free State . Yellow maize price has decreased by nearly R130/ton from June to August . The average reported yellow maize price in August was R2 136/ton . It is expected that under normal conditions that the yellow maize price will decrease in 2014 . Figure 3 further illustrates the purchase price for PP quality pork meat which indicated a fi rm increase from July through to the end of August . The average reported PP pork meat price for August was R19 .34/kg, approximately 5 .29 percent and nearly R1/kg more than in July . For the same period in 2012, the PP pork price was R17 .23/kg .

Figure 2: Pork to maize price ratio

Figure 3: Pork price and YM SAFEX price

InternationalThe latest inventory in Canada indicates that the Canadian pig crop for the fi rst half of 2013 has decreased by 2.6% from the period in 2012, while farrowing intentions for the second half of 2013 were down 2.1% from the same period in 2012. This im-plies a smaller pig crop through the second half of 2013 as well


Market conditionsMarket conditions

Continued on p 7

as tighter supply in 2014 . Pork production in Brazil however is projected to increase by 2% in 2014, as export markets contin-ue to recover . Decreased feed costs on the back of record corn and soya been crops have further fuelled the current optimism in the Brazilian pork industry . In Europe, supplies have remained tight, while demand has been boosted by improved weather conditions . As a result, pork prices in the EU have increased steadily since early June . Demand from key importing markets like Russia and China remains stable, while exports from the UK in the fi rst half of 2013 increased by 22% from the same period in 2012. Fol-lowing lower prices in Germany for the fi rst time in months at the beginning of September, prices in the EU are expected to decrease over the coming weeks, following a typical cycle as demand decreases into the winter period .

Source: British Pig Executive (BPEX), 13 September 2013 (www .bpex .org) .

Abattoir level analysisThe abattoir analysis focuses on two aspects, namely the total number of pigs slaughtered and the number of slaughterings per province .

The latest slaughter fi gures for beef, sheep and pigs indicated a fi rm decrease from May to June. For this period, national pig slaughters reported a decrease of 13 .53 percent . Total pig slaughters amounted to 224 533 and 194 143 animals in May and June respectively. Since slaughters fl uctuate from month to month, a three month moving average (MA) is utilised to deter-mine short term trends . The MA for slaughters in June totalled at 212 160 animals, 2 .90 percent lower than in May . Year-on-year, slaughters in June were 5 919 pigs more than in the same period in 2012 . Gauteng and the Western Cape provinces both indicated a decline in monthly slaughters from May to June . A total of 96 624 animals (-5 .96 percent) were slaughtered in Gauteng and 28 849 animals (-13 .16 percent) in the Western Cape . Total slaughters in KwaZulu-Natal amounted to 25 453 animals, a decrease of 16 .34 percent . The MA for cattle slaugh-ters reported a decrease of 6 .78 percent from May to June which totalled at 175 501 animals in June . Sheep slaughters amounted 368 479 animals in the same period, approximately 6 .05 percent lower than in May . The price of all pork meat classes indicated fi rm increases over the past 17 weeks. Since the fi rst week of May, the price

for pork meat has increased on average by 5 .20 percent . BP quality pork meat reported a price of R18 .47/kg in the last week of August, 58 cents/kg higher than the previous month and nearly R1/kg more than in the beginning of May . BO and BR meat classes reported increases of 4 .56 and 3 .39 percent respectively from June to the end of August . The average price in the last week of August for BO and BR meat were R18 .59/kg and R17 .67/kg respectively . The price for PP quality pork meat was R18 .82/kg in the week of the 12th of July . Towards the end of August, the price for PP meat reported an increase of 91 cents/kg and averaged at R19 .73/kg . For the same period in 2012, the average meat price was R16 .44/kg, more than R2/kg lower than what was reported in August 2013 .

Wholesale and retail price analysis

Figure 5: Slaughters per province

Figure 4: Total numbers slaughtered (national estimates)

Figure 6: Average price for various classes1 .

Figure 7: Margin analysis for porkers and baconers, 2012 & 2013

Index LevelsThe margin analysis in the sample for porker and baconer products provides an indication of the spread or margin between

Porcus Maart/April 20136

VOORGROND


Market conditionsMarket conditions

Continued from p 5

Quick guide to LeptospirosisBy Dr Andrew Tucker, Charles Street Veterinary Consultancy

What is Leptospirosis?

Irritation of the stomach lining can result in thickening of this Leptospira is a spiral bacteria occurring in pigs worldwide . There are nine different species of Leptospira and a particu-lar pig or particular farm can have a combination of species present . Leptospira infection can be via ingestion or through abra-sions . Infection can also be across the placenta or via the venereal route . The bacteria then multiply causing a septicaemia which can produce clinical signs . Leptospira are known to cause liver and kidney damage and are normally limited by the pig’s immune system within 7-10 days after infection . The pregnant uterus can also be infected, resulting in foetal invasion and possible abortion 10-28 days after infection . Leptospira can also infect the central nervous system resulting in meningitis . Leptospira can be shed in the urine for months after clinical recovery and hence it is via urine that Leptospira is most com-monly spread . This can be from both infected and carrier animals . Rat infestation is a common source of infection however other mammals like dogs have also been shown to be the source . Leptospira can live up to thirty days in water so urine contami-nated water is a big risk .

How do you know if it’s on your farm?

Three main clinical syndromes are associated with Leptospira infection in pigs .• Subclinical infection where Leptospira is present in the herd but clinical signs are rarely seen .• Acute/subacute infection. The fi rst clinical sign is fever which results in dull pigs and decreased appetite . Yellow discolouration and nervous signs like tremor or weakness can also be seen . Mortality can be very high .• Reproductive disorders. Not only abortions but also stillborn and neonatal mortality can be seen . In this case sows often have fever, decreased milk and a yellow discolouration . In-creased incidence of mummies and returns to service are also typically seen with Leptospira infection . Clinical signs and post mortem fi ndings may suggest the presence of Leptospira . Various laboratory techniques can confi rm the presence of Leptospira or specifi c antibodies to it. How do you treat or prevent it?

Various antibiotics are effective against Leptospira infection .Control is normally obtained via vaccination of uninfected sows prior to insemination with killed vaccines . Hygiene and rodent control are vital parts of an effective Leptospira control plan .

References:Pig Diseases – D .J . Taylor; Diseases of Swine – Straw, Zim-merman, D’Allaire, Taylor

Figure 8: Total imports to South Africa

Figure 9: Imports of pork to South Africa1 May 2010 price data has been estimated and may not be completely representative .

wholesale and retail pork prices . The latest update in September indicated a decrease of 2 .80 percent in the wholesale price for porker products from July to September . However, the whole-sale price for baconers reported an increase of 3 .49 percent . On retail level, the price for pork chops and spare ribs chops have increased by 2 .03 and 0 .60 percent respectively . A decrease of 1 .59 percent in the price for marinated pork ribs has been re-ported . No major shifts were observed in the retail price for selec-tive baconer products . The margin between wholesale and retail prices for porker products has increased by 2 .14 percent with an index value of 126 .40 percent (base year = 2008) . The margin for baconer products indicated a decrease of 1 .10 percent from July to September with an index value of 174 .37 percent .

Import analysisThe announcement of the new import protocol which regulates the health status of meat of countries exporting to South Africa caused a short term spike in imports of pork meat to South Africa in May and June . However, due to an oversupply in these months, imports of pork meat have decreased signifi cantly in July and August . A total of 1092 tons of pork meat has entered South Africa in July and in August, only 321 tons . In July, only 364 tons of ribs were imported and hams and shoulders amounted to 100 tons . Towards the end of August, mainly pork ribs (299 tons) entered South African borders . In July, the majority of pork meat was imported from Canada and Germany which amounted to 702 and 204 tons respectively . In September 2012, South Africa has imported a total of 1730 tons of pork meat .


SAPPO AGM

“Service delivery protests, on-going labour unrest, which has led to strike upon strike, and the loss of many jobs over the past years in several industries, including agri-culture, have all led to a contract-ing economy, where tax revenue showed a short fall this year and household consumption has slowed down alarmingly,” said Peter Mock-ford in his chairman’s report at SAPPO’s annual general meeting .

These signs all point to an economy that is most certainly stuck in first gear, Mockford said . “With this backdrop of bad news,

how have we fared? Have we been proactive, and have we managed to prepare sufficiently for this situation? The good news is that we were not totally unprepared for the downturn in the economy and, while we certainly did not manage to win the war this time around, we have managed to survive the battle and see in another year . In times such as these that alone is a matter for congratulation . “At our meeting in January, it was agreed that we should double up on our promotional activities, not only at SAPPO level but also at provincial level .” Mockford further said that after no

new cases of CSF or PRRS in the last 12 months, many heated debates and meetings, the PRRS VPN has finally been implemented . “This should cer-tainly allow producers to sleep a little more soundly at night, knowing that everything possible is being done to keep this devastating disease out of South Africa .” He also referred to the meeting with the Minister of Trade and Industries, Dr Rob Davies . “I believe we had a most fruitful meeting where we were able to share many of our concerns regarding imports, tariffs, job losses and so on,” he said .

Highlights of SAPPO’s annual

general meeting that took place at Umhlanga Rocks in September .

Economy is stuck in first gear

SAPPO sticking to its guns“Despite pressure from the SPCA SAPPO remains adamant that sows must only be housed in groups or individual pens for at least the last eight weeks of gestation, as from 1 Janu-

ary 2020,” said Simon Streicher, CEO of SAPPO at the organisation’s annual general meeting . Streicher said that dur-ing a meeting with the SPCA, SAPPO was accused of not being pro-active .

“The SPCA would like the date to be 1 January 2016 . However, SAPPO consid-ers 1 January 2020 as realistic in terms of financing changes, and obtaining environmental impact assessment ap-provals,” he said . The new SA Code for the welfare of pigs was approved at the 2012 AGM . The following were confirmed:* From 1 January 2013 any new pig buildings erected must make provision for group housing or individual pens for the last eight weeks of gestation .* From 1 January 2013 sows may not be moved to farrowing accommodation earlier than seven days prior to their due date .* From 1 January 2020 sows may only be housed in individual stalls for a maximum of the first eight weeks of gestation . * From 1 January 2020 sows must be housed in groups or individual pens for at least the last eight weeks of gestation .

“The vision of SAPPO’s quality assur-ance scheme is that no compromise will be tolerated,” said Jacobus Hoff-man in his report on quality assurance at the SAPPO annual general meeting . He said that non-economic factors are becoming more important to the consumer . These include food safety, guaranteed quality, nutritional value, traceability and the handling of animals . “The aim of SAPPO’s quality assur-ance scheme is to provide high quality

pork and pork products that are ac-ceptable and visible in the market .” The committee has undertaken various activities during the past year, including farm audits . These have been concluded for 2013 . The committee is also in the process of acquiring interna-tional accreditation . The brand develop-ment is finalised, while a new website has been developed and will be up and running by October 2013 . Most etail groups have also been visited .

No compromise on quality

Marieta Human (SAVPO promosie-koördineerder) Frida Grimbeek (Mooi–Vet) en Sally Bosman (SAVPO)

Stefan Vermaak (TOPIGS SA), Glen Illing (TOPIGS International) en Ignat Fisser (Agrovision)

Jacques Schoeman (consultant) en dr Ferdi Meyer (BFAP)


SAPPO AGM

“No new cases of CSF or PRRS have been detected in South Africa the past 12 months, but a case of ASF was diagnosed within the control zone in early July and a case of Teschovirus infection was reported early in 2013,” said Dr Peter Evans in his veterinary report at the AGM .

He said as far as the Teschovirus case is concerned, veterinary services have completed their investigations and informal communication suggests that the particular virus identified was not the strain that causes Teschan disease . SAPPO is still awaiting the final report in this regard . Other diseases that were in the spot-light during the past year is swine flu and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv) . Reports of deaths from swine flu were investigated, but there is an insignificant risk that the human virus could affect pigs . However, it is prudent to keep people with flu symptoms away from pigs . SAPPO is engaging with the Depart-ment of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisher-ies (DAFF) regarding PEDv to ensure that appropriate controls are in place for imports, especially of live pigs, he said . Technical committee

Dr Evans said a technical committee was established to address some of the implementation hiccups of the Veterinary

No new cases of CSF or PRRS in the last 12 months

Procedural Notice . The committee meets on a regular basis with DAFF to discuss the areas of concern, namely health certificates with exporting countries, cold storage problems in the Gauteng area and the registration of pork processing facilities . Eleven facilities are currently registered . Serological survey

The serological survey for 2013 is cur-rently being conducted for ASF, Aujez-ky’s CSF, Foot and Mouth Disease, TGE, PRCV, PRRS, Swine influenza and SVD.

Referring to the implementation date of the eight weeks of group housing, Dr Evans informed the meeting that the National SPCA has petitioned DAFF to outlaw gestation crates entirely . The SABS technical committee on livestock welfare is meanwhile discuss-ing the pig welfare standards that will be implemented in future . Issues introduced in these deliberations include castra-tion, tail docking, teeth clipping and ear notching .

Simon Streicher, hoofbestuurder van SAVPO (links) en dr Peter Evans, die orga-nisasie se gesondheidskakelbeampte het goue medaljes by die algemene jaarver-gadering ontvang vir die uitmuntende diens wat hulle aan die varkvleisbedryf lewer . Saam met hulle is Peter Mockford (uittredende voorsitter van SAVPO), regs . Albei het diep spore in die organisasie se geskiedenis getrap .

Groot bydrae vereer

Dr Edgar Ortmann (Howick Vet Clinic), Dr Koos Botha (Greenvet) en Helen van der Walt (Elanco)

Ralf Patzelt en Leon Muller (albei van Boehringer-Ingelheim) en dr Sean Wisdan (4 Africa)

Kevin Parsons (Frey’s), Mark Surendorff (Meadow Feeds) en Kate Dabrowski (Urban Farmer)


SAPPO AGM

Themba en Bussiwe Mkhize, Sicelo Ngubane en Kwame Mkhize (almal van Umbumbulu)

Simon Streicher (SAVPO), Guzette Stry-dom (PPP) en Bets Streicher (Pretoria)

Gugulethu Ngubane, Lee Sand-ers en Nandumiso Gumede (almal van Baynesfi eld Oplei-ding-akademie)

“Consumers are experiencing severe pressure on disposable income, as uncontrolled expenses such as elec-tricity hikes, the price of fuel, health care, education, general infl ation and the greater diffi culty of obtaining credit, are putting them in an undeni-able squeeze,” said Marieta Human, SAPPO’s promotion coordinator, at the AGM .

“One of the easiest ways of cutting down food expenses is to replace meat purchases with cheap carbohydrates . This trend is very visible when current shopping patterns and depressed sales of meat at retail level are considered . Customers love the taste and delicious eating experience of meat in general, but can’t afford what they would like . According to reports by all the retail groups, meat sales are overall in a nega-tive growth stage, except when dramati-cally lower prices are offered .”

Retail groups

Human said that to stay relevant in the current economic scenario, SAPPO joined hands with several retail groups in the past year “to offer incredible value to consumers and to give retailers the incentive to pass the low prices of pork on to cash strapped consumers .” These include:• Participation in the Fruit & Veg City Summer Carnival, a campaign which included advertising on television, in the Sunday Times, national newspapers and knock and drop tabloid leafl ets, and on radio . The campaign also included in-store promotions conducted by SAPPO’s provincial teams .

• A joint venture with Shoprite stores nationally with a pork-specifi c newspaper campaign in black communities and free knock and drop papers, backed with pork in-store promotions .• A campaign with Checkers stores na-tionally, using major national, as well as regional newspapers . The campaign was supported by in-store promotions .• The Kwai Challenge again took place in Randburg with Eskort as co-sponsor . It was screened on various television channels .• Participation in the Fruit & Veg City Winter Carnival, which included advertis-ing on television, in the Sunday newspa-pers, national newspapers and 2,5 mil-lion free knock and drop tabloid leafl ets.• A campaign with Shoprite was also conducted at the end of August .• A national, educational campaign will

also appear in MOVE! Magazine, which has a weekly readership of 2,5 million female black readers who are respon-sible for the decision-making of food purchases for their families . Human said that all the provinces are now on track with regard to in-store cooking promotions, which is a chal-lenging but rewarding initiative . “Training, monitoring and benchmarking the output of the promotion ladies remain the main critical factors to ensure the funds spent on this initiative is well worth it . They work in a challenging environment and need a lot of training .” SAPPO will have supplied no less than eight training DVD’s to the provincial teams by the end of November 2013, to assist with raising the level of skills and motivation of the in-store promotion ladies, Human said .

Severe pressure on consumers

PigVision is the perfect tool for profi t-able pig farming, said Ignat Fisser, area manager of Agrovision at the SAPPO annual general meeting . He said that the vision of the compa-ny is that all farms will within ten years be using online software . “In this way, farms will get bigger and bigger and better organised . More and more data will be online and real-time available .” Fisser foresees that globalisation will make borders disappear in future, while the distinction between farmers and agribusiness will merge into integrated production . “PigVision is the perfect tool for prof-itable pig farming,” he said . It consists of the following software programs:

• Dashboards for insight into key per-formance indices of the farm .• New reports for better analysis of the farm .• A feed growth monitor application to monitor the biggest costs .• MultiSite reporting for benchmark-ing .“One of the benefi ts of these pro-grams is that the producers could have clear communication with their farm managers . The producers also receives their pigs’ key performance index report in their mailboxes, while it is an excellent planning tool for animal transfers . It will save the producer a lot of valuable time, as much as eight hours per week,” Fisser said .

Perfect tool for profi table farming


SAPPO AGM

“It is the conviction of SAPPO that any meaningful and sustainable transformation of the developing sector in the industry should start with training,” said Qeda Nyoka, coordinator of SAPPO’s developing farmer projects at the annual general meeting .

According to Nyoka the Baynesfield Training Academy has been the focus of SAPPO’s training activities the past year . The academy has trained develop-ing pig farmers from all provinces of the country . SAPPO’s strategy is to target farms, which are under the organisation’s

mentorship programme, as well as pig-gery projects that are sponsored by the government . “Baynesfield will in the near future offer short courses for extension officers, ani-mal health technicians and other people who need training in pig production . There are also plans to open a training facility for artificial insemination,” he said. Nyoka said SAPPO is confident that the training offered by the organisation has had a great impact in the empower-ment of developing farmers with skills and knowledge about commercial pig production in South Africa . SAPPO’s mentorship programme has

been reviewed during the past year and a workshop was conducted with all the mentors in an effort to make mentorship more rewarding to the beneficiaries. SAPPO do not only give training to developing pig farmers, but also provide them with technical information and as-sistance, Nyoka said . “Furthermore, great collaboration has been forged with various industry stakeholders in government and the private sector on behalf of the developing pig farmers . It includes presentations to financial and academic institutions. “The biggest challenge for developing farmers is still to access enough capital to establish commercially viable pigger-ies . Another challenge will be to organise themselves for affiliation to the respective provincial bodies of SAPPO .” Nyoka welcomed the fact that two representatives for developing farmers were co-opted onto the SAPPO board .

Transformation starts with training

Reduction in import duties unacceptable“We need to state in the strongest terms that the pork industry cannot agree to any reduction in import duties, whether quota based or not,” said Jacobus Hoffman in his report on the activities of the Industry Protection Committee at SAPPO’s AGM . Hoffman said that SAPPO has, with the support of SAMPA, submitted this message to the Department of Trade

and Industry in reply to a request by the European Union (EU) for preferential market access into the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) on certain pork tariff lines . Hoffman pointed out that the Industry Protection Committee has four major objectives:• To monitor, compile and interpret import statistics .

• To monitor and identify irregularities of all imported pork and pork products .• To protect the industry against im-ports that could be harmful to the local health status .• To conduct trade negotiations. Hoffman referred to a meeting that

Continued on p 13

Op die foto links is Fritz Botes van Nkunzi Varkboer–dery in KwaZulu-Natal wat ‘n Springbokrugbytrui in ‘n gelukkige trekking van TOPIGS SA ontvang het . By hom is Francois du Toit, bemarkingsbestuurder van TOPIGS SA (regs) . Die instansie het ook ‘n spreker by SAVPO se algemene jaarvergadering geborg . Onder is die spreker, Glen Illing (heel regs) by Andrew Rheeders en Drienie Broodryk van TOPIGS SA .

SAPPO AGM


Kobus Humphries (Humphries Boerdery), Pieter Swart (Ibis), dr Lia Hoving (Nederland) en Henk Janssen (TOPIGS International)

took place with the Minister of Trade (DTI) and Industry, Rob Davies, in April this year . Issues that were placed under the spotlight during the meeting were the current state of the industry, chicken im-ports and the effect thereof, the position of emerging farmers, international trade and tariff application . “During a meeting with the general manager of the DTI in charge of tariff increase applications, it became clear that an application for an increase in tariffs had to be submitted on behalf of SACAU as well . SAPPO will therefore also need to submit letters of support from major producers in the customs union. Representative figures from two

to three producers in each province also need to be submitted . Furthermore, an individual HS Code product line has to be identified.” Hoffman said that if there was no data available, the application would not be successful . It is therefore important to initiate data collection and to start preparing a tariff increase application document .

Imports

A total of 21 683 ton pork was imported in the first seven months of 2013. The main exporting countries were Germany, Canada and Spain . Imports from Ger-many alone represent more than 42% of total imports. Imports consisted of 58% ribs and 38% other cuts.

Amazing vehicle to get a message across“Twitter is an amazing vehicle to get a message across,” said Layton Beard, a private consultant, at the SAPPO annual general meeting . “The social media is a serious tool . Twitter is here, it is going to grow and pig producers should be part of it .” Beard started a twitter account on behalf of SAPPO “with the aim to place the organisation in a position where it can be in charge of the information going out . It is an excel-lent opportunity to put pork produc-ers’ view on various topics across . It can also be used to educate people on pork, the industry and the value of pork .” According to Beard Twitter is widely used throughout the world, with South Africa as the tenth big-gest user of this media worldwide . “People of all ages, creeds and cultures use it every day,” he said .

Stoffel Matthis groetStoffel Matthis, SAVPO se eerste uitvoerende hoofbestuurder (1992 - 1999) is op 9 Augustus na ‘n lang siekbed oorlede . Hy het diep spore in die organisasie se geskiedenis getrap en ‘n groot rol gespeel om SAVPO tot ‘n dinamiese produsente-organisasie uit te bou . SAVPO se innige simpatie aan sy vrou Patti en die kinders .

Duties continued from p 12

Gustaf van der Merwe (Vrystaat), Henk Janssen (TOPIGS International) en Karel Minnaar (Vrystaat)

New at the top

Barry Gibbs (left) is SAPPO’s new chairman. He farms near Baynesfield in KwaZulu-Natal and has been chairman of the KZN Pork Producers’ Organisation and a SAPPO board member for several years . James Jenkinson farms at Swineline north of Pretoria and is a previous PPP chairman, as well as a national SAPPO chairman .

PRODUCTION


SYMPOSIUM

Landbousektor toon enorme vooruitgang“Die landbousektor in Suid-Afrika het in die afgelope jare enorme vooruit-gang getoon, ondanks die feit dat dit geen staatsbeskerming of staats-ondersteuning geniet nie en heelte-mal blootgestel is aan die aanslae van die internasionale mark,” het dr Piet Craucamp, politieke ontleder van die Universiteit van Johan-nesburg, by SAVPO en KZNPPO se gesamentlike simposium gesê .

Volgens hom lê daar baie interessante tye voor sover dit die politieke situasie van die land betref . Hy voorspel onder meer dat Suid-Afrika in die toekoms deur ‘n ander party regeer sal word, en nie meer deur die ANC nie .

Dr Craucamp sê wit Suid-Afrikaners is 64% ryker as wat hulle in 1994 was. Van al die bevolkingsgroepe in die land het witmense die beste in die nuwe bedeling gevaar . Meer wit mense is nou entrepre-neurs en hulle is ook ekonomies meer aktief as wat hulle voorheen was . “Swart mense word die meeste deur misdaad geraak . Misdaad is ‘n gewel-dige probleem in arm swart gemeen-skappe .” “Wit mense en swart mense het hulself in groot mate van die staat en staats inmenging losgemaak . Die informele ekonomiese sektor in Suid-Afrika is groter as die ekonomieë van party ander lande . Die beginsel van vrye handel en kapitalisme word egter soms op ‘n bru-

tale manier in die informele sektor in die land toegepas,” het dr Craucamp gesê . Die ontwikkeling van ‘n swart mid-delklas sal tot baie meer stabiliteit in die land lei . Wit en swart middelklasmense tree presies op dieselfde manier op, ook wat die politieke omgewing betref . ‘n Middelklasgemeenskap is stabiel en gekonsolideerd . Volgens hom is swart mense baie meer krities teenoor die regering as wit mense . “Baie mense dink die ANC is ‘n swak regering, maar dit is nie waar nie . Arm swart mense ly die meeste onder die ANC-regering . Die mense wat die

Agriculture can become incubator for rural development“With the required interventions, ag-riculture can become a major incuba-tor for rural economic upliftment and welfare, as well as job creation,” said Dr Ferdi Meyer of the Buro for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) at the symposium .

He said that the agricultural industry and its workers are currently on a knife’s edge . One of the reasons is the collapse of integrated farmer support services . Furthermore, primary agriculture is too small to bear full burden of rural unem-ployment and poverty . He recommended that agriculture takes a total food value chain approach when trying to deal with its problems . Clear leadership and guidance are essential . According to Dr Meyer, one of the key drivers of the global economy is the oil price . BFAP projects that oil prices will become a bit lower and more stable over the next ten years . One of the reasons is the fact that the United States will not import any oil after 2020 . China’s growth rate, which is slowing down slightly, will also have an impact on the demand for oil . Another key driver is the US use of maize for ethanol and co-products . The

US used a lot of the world’s maize, but it is not expected that a lot more maize will be utilised for ethanol production . This will mean that oil prices could be lower over the next two to three years and there could also be a consolidation of prices over the longer period . In South Africa, the key driver of the economy is the population . The popula-tion growth rate is slowing down, but the middle income group is expanding, which means that more pork will be consumed . Exchange rate

As far as the exchange rate is con-cerned, it is projected that it will depreci-ate over time, he said . BFAP predicts that pork consumption will grow with 41% over the next ten years, while beef consumption will grow with 27% and chicken consumption with 47%. Human consumption of maize will be flat, while a faster growth of consumption of maize will be seen in the feed mar-ket . A shift from the production of white maize to yellow maize is expected . Meyer said it is predicted that the world population will grow to 9 billion in 2050 .

To feed all these people, it will be neces-sary to improve the world’s crop yields every year with one percent . Africa’s population is growing the fastest, and the US population growth is the slowest . A lot of African economies are currently growing significantly, which means that a lot of people are being shifted out of the poverty category . These people will be able to afford meat . “The question is how are these people going to be fed? The solution is to pro-duce more with less input . The answer to this riddle is more efficiency, coupled with technology .” Meyer said as far as the relationship between input and output prices are concerned, an increase in beef prices are predicted for the next year . Tradition-ally, pork prices follow the same trend . However, in real terms the reality is that farmers are getting less and less for their pork . However, BFAP projects that the level of prices will remain slightly positive in real terms because of an increase in demand .

Vervolg op bl 15


PRODUCTION


SYMPOSIUM

“It is possible to select and breed for animal welfare but at the same time produce more pigs, more meat, be more efficient and be more profit-able,” said Glen Illing of TOPIGS International at the symposium .

“The challenge is to be clever, innovative and responsible and to use the chang-ing environment to the pig producer’s advantage . “Efficiencies in the pig industry are best created by better performing animals and greater feed efficiency in the conversion of feed to pig meat . “If producers improve the productivity of breeding and the conversion of total feed used into meat, they will see im-provement in profitability, reduction in the production of farm manure, a reduction of their carbon footprint and a reduction in the cost of production of every kg of pig meat produced . “However, on top of the changing economic environment comes animal welfare, which is problematic, controver-sial, emotional and passionate, with pro-ponents fervently both for and against .” “The industry can either fight or adapt to the changing environment . Many will fight and some will just stick their heads in the sand . I believe that we should be clever and use the changing environment to the pig producers’ advantage,” Illing said . It is important to select on traits that improve economics and breed for animal welfare . Some of the key considerations are:• Environment and sustainability:– Efficient use of animal feed– Efficient use of energy– Less waste product – Lower water usage– Improving working conditions– Socially acceptable production systems– Reduce animal stress– Breeding for group housing, heat toler-ance, and non castration– Health and low use of medication• With sociable pressure rising in North Western Europe against physical castra-tion, breeding organisations announced that producers would be able to deliver breeding animals that are proven low in boar taint .

• Ongoing genetic selection, and track-ing, makes it possible to offer certain breeds to customers, which through its ancestry, have a reduced risk of lead-ing to boar taint, which is usually mainly caused by the hormones androstenone and skatole . Illing said the most pig production ar-eas are in the regions with relatively high temperatures . Many breeding companies today develop genetic lines in moder-ate climates (North-west Europe, North America) and well-managed SPF farms . In many cases, these environments do not represent the production circum-stances of the clients . TOPIGS International is working on adapting genetic lines to the production circumstances of the clients . This is being done by:• collecting data from all kind of produc-tion environments (over 300 000 sows in over 30 different countries in TOPIGS Pigbase today)• by breeding in climates representing the client base• by directly selecting on traits such as robustness and temperature tolerance• by creating specific genetic lines for these environments• by selecting for heat tolerance and develop lines tolerant to higher tempera-tures . He said that not only is the tempera-ture tolerance at time of insemination important, but the milking abilities of the

sow, which is driven by its feed intake capacity in lactation . “When you look at breeding for group housing and the need for socially interac-tive pigs, the same principles apply for the finishing barn. Finishing barns have had more than one pig in the pen for decades but breeding, gestation and lactation barns have only recently started to move to group housing under the wel-fare pressures . This means that pigs are exposed to social pressures as well . “By including indirect genetic effects into the breeding program model, it’s possible to estimate the heritable vari-ance more precisely and to predict the genetic gain better . Various methods are used to identify socially interactive pigs, but the easiest to explain is the incidence of tail biting . Thousands of observations have been made by phD students re-cording the instances of tail biting and its severity, from just a quick nip to drawing blood to severe tail biting . “We have seen that pigs that are more social are less competitive and this leads to more efficiency, he said. Aggression when removed from the groups and re-united plays a major role . This is par-ticularly important in sow group housing situations,” Illing said .

It’s possible to select and breed for animal welfare

te tree nie . Die staat slaag ook nie daarin om sy beleid te konsolideer nie . Die staat is in ‘n posisie van skaakmat binne die drie-ledige alliansie waaruit dit saamge-stel is . “Vir die eerste keer in die geskiedenis is daar ‘n faksie wat besig is om weg te beweeg van die bevrydingsgemeenskap . Vir die eerste keer is die stem-patrone van kiesers in Noord-Wes en die Oos-Kaap besig om te verander,” het hy gesê . Volgens dr Craucamp het swart mense in die verlede geen alternatief vir die ANC gehad nie, maar Agang SA kan moontlik ‘n alternatief vir hulle wees . “Dit is ‘n party met eerlike, gesonde politiese beginsels . Die swart middelklas behoort ‘n tuiste in Agang SA te vind .”

meeste kla, is diegene wat die meeste voordeel uit die ANC-regering se beleid trek .” “Wit mense voel verwyderd van die politieke stelsel . Die ekonomiese stelsel word swak bestuur, maar slegs 30% van alle besighede in die land hoef belasting te betaal . Klein ondernemings word vrygestel van inkomstebelasting . Dit beteken dat ‘n groot gedeelte van die wit middelklas ook die laste van die staat vryspring,” het hy gesê . Volgens dr Craucamp is die gom wat die ANC bymekaar hou, korrupsie, gierigheid en misdadigheid . “Die staat is nie daartoe in staat om voldoende konsensus in sy geledere te kry en op

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VRYSTAAT AJV

Pierre van der Westhuizen (4Mix), Andrew Rheeders (TOPIGS SA) en Pierre Smith (Virbac)

Ernst Maier (HIPRA), Liz Wolff (pro-mosiedame) en Sally Bosman (VVPV)

Jumelo en Eric Ntlaba, albei van Lindley en Challa Mo-ahlodi (Boshoff)

Dr Albert Schutte (Kanhym), Geoff Leach (Bloemfontein) en Karel Minnaar (Bothaville)

Hoewel die Vrystaatse Varkvleispro-dusente-vereniging (VVPV) besluit het om nie produsente se vrywillige bydrae te verhoog nie, moet daar-teen gewaak word om nie die ge-halte van promosies af te skaal nie . Karel Minnaar, voorsitter van die vereni-ging, het by die algemene jaarverga-dering gesê dat die vereniging se raad dié besluit geneem het in die lig van die moeilike omstandighede waarin die varkvleisbedryf tans verkeer . “Promosies word elke jaar duurder en ons sal in die toekoms weer na die vrywillige heffing moet kyk .” Minnaar het gesê daar was die afgelope jaar verskeie hoogtepunte op die vereniging se promosiekalender . Die Food & Beverage Institute het soos vorige jare die Vrystaatse Sjef van die Jaar-kompetisie aangebied . Die vereni-ging het vanjaar ‘n addisionele bydrae van R20 000 gemaak vir die borg van bekwaamheidskursusse . Leerlinge wat die kursusse bywoon, leer veertien ver-skillende kookmetodes met varkvleis . Die vereniging het ook weer radioflitse

Gehalte van promosies moet in stand gehou word

op OFM uitgesaai omdat die flitse die vo-rige jaar ‘n groot sukses was . “Die raad het besluit om dit ten minste drie jaar, as dit finansieël moontlik is, te doen. VVPV poog om die LSM groepe 6-10 te teiken . Dit is ook die teikengroep van SAVPO se nasionale promosies,” het Minnaar gesê . “VVPV het ook deelgeneem aan al SAVPO se nasionale promosieveldtogte . Die promosie met Fruit & Veg was seker een van die suksesvolste promosies waarby die promosiedames betrokke was en dié promosie het ‘n groot hoeveelheid varkvleis geskuif . Ander

nasionale promosies wat baie suksesvol was, was dié met Checkers en Shoprite . “Deur die jaar het die promosiedames weer promosies by onder andere slag-huise en supermarkte gedoen . Daar is weer bewys hoe ‘n belangrike rol promosies in winkels speel en die VVPV se promosiedames kwyt hulle baie goed van hulle taak,” het Minnaar gesê . Die vereniging het ook ‘n putjie in Kim-berley by die Shoprite Checkers OFM Chips 4 Charity golfdag geborg, asook die vleis vir ‘n groot toernooi van Vrystaat Tennis .

Hoogtepunte van die Vrystaatse Varkvleisprodusente-vereniging se algemene jaarvergaderig .

May this year and aims to regulate the importation of certain frozen cuts that could contain the PRRS virus .These cuts have to be processed at a registered facility . Streicher said that although a large amount of pork has been imported during the first six months of 2013, there was a dramatic decrease in July .

VPN not aimed at limiting importsThe aim of SAPPO’s Veterinary Procedure Notice (VPN) is not to limit imports, but it is a measure to protect the South African pig herd from diseases such as PRRS, said Simon Streicher, SAPPO CEO at the annual general meeting of the Free State Pork Producers’ Organisation . The VPN came into effect on 31

Babs Bochenek (promosiedame), Wiaan Storm (NewQuip) en Bettie Luyke (promosiedame)


Free State AGM


FREE STATE AGM

Innovation and low cost are the keys to survival

Sôe in groepe sal werk as jy dit wíl laat werk

Wessel Whitehead (Addcon Africa) en Reghard Feenstra (Kroonstad)

Simon Streicher en dr Peter Evans, albei van SAVPO

The farmer who is an innovator, who adopts ideas early, who is a low cost specialist, and one with exclusive market privileges, is the farmer who will make it in future . This was the message of Dr Pieter Grimbeek of MooiVet at the annual general meet-ing of the Free State Pork Producers’ Organisation .

Dr Grimbeek said that the pork industry

Sôe wat in groepe gehuisves word, gaan boere nie bankrot maak nie . Moenie dit afskiet voordat jy probeer het nie . Met goeie bestuur en die regte besluite, kan produsente selfs beter produksiesyfers behaal . As jy dit wil laat werk, sal dit werk, het dr Peter Evans, SAVPO se gesond-heidskakelbeampte by die algemene jaarvergadering van die Vrystaatse Varkvleisprodusentevereniging gesê .

“Hoe meer data ons oor groepsbehui-sing versamel, hoe duideliker word dit dat varke in groepe net so goed en

is mature, capital intensive and is highly specialised . “As in every mature industry, profits tend towards zero. This leaves everyone in a severe dilemma . To survive and thrive in a world where one has lots of competition one has to be a low cost producer . You have to have the ability to meet or exceed standards of production performance that the very best produc-ers have already reached a few years ago,” he said .

He pointed out that as long as farmers can produce pork at a lower cost than their competitors, they are not at risk . “Pig farming is however an output-driven business and by understanding this concept producers who have invested in modern housing, accepted only the best genetics available and have understood that nutrition and superior herd health are the keys to unlocking the hidden wonders of pig farming, will be the survi-vors in this interesting industry . “Innovation and the will to improve will never cease to be the single most important driving forces in any industry . This is the norm for every industry,” Dr Grimbeek said .

selfs beter as sôe in kratte kan presteer . Varkplase is egter werkergedrewe en diervaardigheid (stockmanship) speel ‘n belangrike rol in die sukses van groepe al dan nie .” Goeie syfers Hy het daarop gewys dat daar produ-sente in ander lande is wat goeie produksiesyfers in groepe behaal . Sôe mag ook selfs langer lewe omdat hulle sterker bene het en meer oefening kry . Dr Evans het daarop gewys dat diere-welsynkwessies nie meer deur produ-

sente geïgnoreer kan word nie . “Jy sal moet kennis neem oor hoe die verbruiker van jou produk hieroor voel . Die Nasionale Dierebeskermingsvereni-ging het onlangs ‘n petisie met 4 500 handtekeninge aan die Departement van Landbou, Bosbou en Visserye oorhandig om sogkratte te verbied . “Welsynkwessies is ernstig, dit gaan nie verdwyn nie . Jy sal moet dink oor hoe jou produksiestelsel hierby aange-pas kan word . Jy doen jouself ‘n onguns as jy nie hieraan begin dink nie,” het hy gesê .

Khalala Mayekiso (AFASA) en Qeda Nyoka (SAVPO)

Raedun en Charles Malherbe (Malu)

Jacques Janse van Rensburg, Shane Cotty en Saartjie du Toit (Hamony Piggery)

Dr Pieter Grimbeek (MooiVet) en Geoff Leach (Bloemfontein)


Wat does your organisation do for you?

Produsente moet ook vra waar hulle sonder hul organisasies sou wees

I think that the average producer does not know what is done on his or her behalf . They however do have the right to ask, and should ask, especially in difficult times. Even better, they should become involved and have regular discussions with their board members, said Arthur Gee in his chairman’s address at the PPP annual general meeting . “Similarly, the PPP office is there to sup-ply answers where it can . You only really understand the issues when you actively participate and realise all the limitations out there .” Gee said that when he gave his report

Produsente sal natuurlik in moei-like tye vra wat hulle organisasies vir hulle doen en dit is verstaanbaar . Maar produsente moet ook vra waar hulle sonder hulle organisasies sou wees, het Peter Mockford, voorsitter van SAVPO by die algemene jaarver-gadering gesê .

at the previous annual general meet-ing, he pointed out that it was a year of extremes with a 30% up and down movement in prices, but that an upward movement was eminent . “We got that, but not as strong as we all hoped for . Real upward movement away from the R15 – R16/kg only occurred in Octo-ber last year, reaching R21 – R22/kg in November . Then came the shock of a price drop in December, continuing downwards to R17 by April . This large fluctuation in price is now seeming to be a feature of the industry . “This large fluctuation also caused problems, for the first time, in the con-tract marketing arena . It forced con-

tracted buyers to renegade on an old, established price-forming mechanism . I need not tell you that when margins are normally very low as in the pig industry, it is very difficult to weather these large downward swings . These past two years pig producers had to operate at break-even or negative margins for up to seven months of the year . The predictable outcome of this will be a shrinking of production, further ownership consolida-tion and more vertical integration . Fact is that the really vulnerable people in this scenario are the smaller producers and the so-called emerging farmers trying to enter the industry,” Gee said .

“Dink maar aan alles wat die organisasie gedoen het om PRRS uit te roei en ons het dit reggekry . Ons het eenvoudig nie die fondse om weer so iets te doen nie . Die kompartementaliseringstelsel was ‘n inisiatief van SAVPO en ons kan as gevolg daarvan steeds vleis na Namibia uitvoer .”

Hy het daarop gewys dat SAVPO se doen en late gereeld in die organisasie se nuusbriewe en in Porcus gerap-porteer word . Produsente moet dit lees sodat hulle op die hoogte kan bly met wat SAVPO en PPP vir hulle doen, het hy gesê .

Highlights of PPP’s annual general meeting

PPP AGM

Arthur Gee (Kanhym) en John Wright (Ibis Piggery)

Stefan Vermaak (TOPIGS SA) en Tosca Kotzé (Multipig)

Dries Kotzé (Ratzegaai) en Matthew Hayden (Trade Plus Aid)

Chris Beghin (4Mix) en Fritz Meyer (Penvaan)

Karen Jenkinson (Swineline) en Helen van der Walt (Elanco)

Barry Gibbs (KZN) en Anna Phosa (Dreamland Piggery)


PPP AGM

Busy year for PPP with excellent results on the promotional frontPPP had a big, difficult, but very suc-cessful year with many wars won, said Jacobus Hoffman, PPP’s manager at the AGM .

Information PPP communicates bi-monthly with members via its e-newsletter, @PPP, which is sponsored by Bupo and TOPIGS SA . The PPP website is also regularly updated .

Training All training reports for PPP members have been submitted to the AgriSETA before the deadline of 30 June 2013 . As from 1 April 2013, the mandatory grant percentage has changed to 20% (previ-ously 50%) of levies paid to the receiver of revenue that can be claimed . This money may be claimed after submitting an annual training report for the previous year containing information on the courses presented and training completed, combined with a Workplace Skills Plan for planning of training for the following year . Members

PPP has 65 members representing 48 870 sows .

Promotions PPP’s flagship promotion campaign, Porkalicious continued in butcheries in Limpopo, North West, Mpumalanga and Gauteng . PPP believes that the cam-paign will make a huge contribution to sell more pork . The campaign ran until the beginning of September . The structure of PPP’s, Porkalicius campaign has been changed to also give smaller shops the opportunity to participate . Bigger stores that have been participating in the past, but did not de-liver, will be excluded this year to make room for these smaller butcheries . The competition will differentiate between shops with three tills or more, and shops with less than three tills . The campaign is hugely popular among the trade . PPP’s partner in the campaign is Deli Spices . PPP’s township promotion campaign is also a huge success . Ten well-trained promotion ladies are conducting promo-tions and pork demonstrations in outlets in townships in Gauteng . PPP is excited about the organisa-

tion’s schools promotion campaign, which was presented for the first time last year, as this is an excellent way to introduce pork to a new generation . As only a small number of schools can participate because of budget con-straints, the council is of the opinion that more funds should possibly be made available for the project in future . PPP had a successful promotion with Pick n Pay and Spar, and also partici-pated in SAPPO’s national promotions with Food Lovers Market, Shoprite and Checkers .

ErelidmaatskapDr Pieter Vervoort van CS Vet het reeds diep spore in die varkbedryf getrap, nie net as veearts en voed-ingkundige nie, maar ook as konsult-ant en hy is ‘n lopende ensiklopedie as dit by varksake kom . PPP het by die algemene jaarvergadering erelidmaatskap aan hom toegeken vir sy belangrike bydrae aan die bedryf . Links is Kobus Raath van Walt Landgoed .

Jaques Grobellaar (De Heus), Friedel Meyer (CS Vet) en Jan Langlage (4Mix)

Charl Braak (GH Braak Trust), Johan van der Walt (Walt Landgoed) en Charl Smal (Inhoek)

Michael Templar (Atlas Trading), Russell du Preez (Russell Stone Group) en Jan-nelise Lourens (Atlas Trading)

Dr Koos Botha (Greenvet), Rina Maree (Fre-on Trade), Hugo Meyer (Belhuit Investments) en Alteli de Villiers

Klasie Hodgson (De Heus), dr Danie Visser (Alliance Ge-netics SA) en Raymond Wewege (Mazal Boerdery)


Education key to increase consumer tractionEducation is key to increase con-sumer traction . Never doubt it . This was the message of food expert, Jodi-Ann Pearton at the annual general meeting . “Education is the next big thing and as people become aware of what they are eating and why, food culture will begin to change . This will allow pork consumption to rise as the cultural bar-rier breaks down and pork becomes a more desirable protein of choice .” Pearton said that she regard it as significant that pork consumption has overtaken that of lamb in South Africa . Pork also featured in the culinary media more this year than any other product .

She highlighted the following future food trends for South Africans:• South African street food is already exploding with variety and this trend will grow .• Shesa Nyamas (informal outlets where meat is braaied and sold) are going to become more popular .• Asian cuisine is a worldwide phenom-enon and pork is a major ingredient . “If the international trend is anything to go by, pork consumption in our country is going to go through the roof .”• Bacon remains an international fa-vourite and is now even used in sweet dishes such as maple cupcakes with bacon sprinkles and bacon brownies .• In vitro meat, also known as cultured

meat, will be available . This is meat manufactured in a laboratory and never have been part of a living animal .• The nose to tail movement is already popular internationally . This means that crispy ears, trotters, tails and livers are now found in the best restaurants in for instance European restaurants . “Nose to tail dining is now fine dining and is becoming more and more prolific by the day .”• “Hand-crafted” meat is becoming very popular with people for instance making their own bacon . Pearton also stressed the many health benefits of pork, and said this should be communicated to the con-sumer .

Sale of biogas could be worth-while optionThe cost of power in South Africa is still very inexpensive but municipal rates are significantly increasing. As the security of electrical supply concerns grows, the biogas solution gains momentum . The production and sale of gas is an option worth investigating . So said Mathew Hayden of Trade Plus Aid at the annual gen-eral meeting . According to Hayden there is value in the production and sale of biogas . This will be demonstrated at Riverside Farm where the Depart-ment of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will erect a biogas opera-tion . All the waste on the farm will be processed . After the two-year term of the contract Riverside will own the biogas plant and will then sell the compressed gas as an income to the farm . A MOU has already been signed and negotiations to possible suppliers are in process .

Funding

As far as funding is concerned, the Eskom SOP grant system is on hold . Funding through the DTI is still pos-sible, but the process is slow . There was also progress the past year with the biogas operations at Swineline and Inhoek . A valuable lesson that we have learned is that much more attention should be paid to the existing farm electrical infrastructure,” Hayden said .

PPP AGM


The outlook for agriculture is positive

Kobus Humphries (Humphries Boerdery) en Pieter Swart (Ibis Piggery)

Guzette Strydom (PPP) en Jodi-Ann Pearton (sjef en gasspreker by die AGM)

The outlook for agriculture is positive . Populations are growing, there is a growing middle class and western diets in which meat plays an important role, is being adopted all over the world . This was the opinion of Jan van Zyl of FNB Commercial Banking at the annual general meeting . Other factors that count in agriculture’s favour is its important future role in the produc-tion of bio fuels .

“Agriculture is a wealth creator with im-portant linkages to other sectors . It is also a driver of job creation, economic

growth, rural development and poverty alleviation and South Africa is the breadbasket for Sub Saharan Africa .“The South African economy’s fair weather is however over for the time being, but there are still many posi-tive aspects . The demand for South African exports and commodity prices are good. The inflow of foreign capital is substantial and the rand is compara-tively strong .” Van Zyl’s major economic predictions are:• GDP growth will be below trend this year and next year due to weakening domestic demand growth and sub-

optimal export growth .• Inflation will temporarily pierce the upper end of the target range in 2013 due to among others labour market unrest and wage increases .• The interest rate cycle is bottoming and there is a risk of earlier hikes if the inflow of foreign capital slows.• Employment growth will be moder-ate .• The rand could strengthen over the next few month, but significant volatility can still be expected .• Growth in the property market will remain subdued .

Producers should demonstrate attempts to comply with water actsPPP’s Water Committee continues to engage with the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Department of Water Affairs to comment on legislation and to form relationships with these authori-ties, said Dr James Meyer of the committee at the annual gen-eral meeting . But producers must meaningfully demonstrate attempts to be compliant and adhere to local and international best practices, he said .

“Confined animal feeding operations are already attracting attention from an animal welfare perspective . It is prudent to ensure that from a legal compliance perspective water usage and waste disposal are addressed and that a good impression is created .” Delay

There is a delay in the promulgation of the government notice regulations and producers should use this opportunity

to become compliant, he said . Meyer said that many producers are compliant with waste management requirements, but not with the require-ments of water usage . “This relates to the registration of the water usage and obtaining a water licence . This entails the abstraction and storage of water, wastewater gen-erated, wastewater stored and treated and the disposal of wastewater . The bottom line is, is the use of water law-ful or unlawfull .

Various activities to put SAPPO’s Pork 360 quality assurance scheme in place have been conducted the past year, said Dr Peter Evans (SAPPO) who co-

manages the scheme with Jacobus Hoffman (PPP), at the annual general meeting . All farm audits for 2013 have been

completed and audits for the next year will started by the end of September this year . Brand development has been done and marketing material pro-

Progress with Pork 360

Continued on p 29

PPP AGM

Dr Douglas Choto en George Miller (Bupo) en Jacobus Hoffman (PPP)



Keep the wealthy healthy, but also the billion new consumersProducers who want to stay in business should keep the wealthy healthy by providing a top class product, but they must also keep their eye on the up and coming new one billion consumers . This was the message of Norman Cil-liers, of Zeder Investments, one of the guest speakers at the Western Cape Pork Producers’ Association’s annual general meeting . “The next billion consumers are those consumers who did not previously had

money . They do now and will play a big role in consumer spending over the next thirty years . Producers must invest in this up and coming market . There is not a lot of profit to be made out of traditional markets any more . On the other hand, people are becoming richer and richer . Keeping the wealthy healthy is another opportunity for producers,” Cilliers said . Cilliers pointed out that there are a lot of opportunities in Africa . “Between now and 2050 half of the population will be born in Africa . Producers should take note of this growing market as South

Africa’s population will not grow to the same extent in future . There will be enor-mous opportunities in Africa. For the first time, the world will need Africa, its land and its consumers .” Cilliers also said that producers will have to think differently about natural re-sources such as water . “Resources are worldwide under pressure . We however see many innovations in this regard on farms . I believe that farmers are taking the lead in this regard,” Cilliers said .

Highlights of The Cape Province Pork Producer’s Association’s annual general meeting

Great future for agriculture, but speak with one voiceAgriculture does have a future in South Africa, said Carl Opperman, CEO of Agri Western Cape, at the annual general meeting . “Although agriculture’s contribution to the GDP has decreased, one should however also keep the value-adding contribution of agriculture in mind . Agriculture also makes an enormous contribution to stabilise rural areas . But

we must work together, speak with one voice and you should support your organisations,” Opperman said . He pointed out that there are a lot of agricultural opportunities in Africa and if South African producers do no make use of these opportunities, other coun-tries will . “The world is hungry . We will have to produce more food over the next 50 years than we did the past 500 .” Some of the top most constraining

factors for agriculture according to Op-perman are:• Trust in the political system• Competence of personnel in the public sector• Public sector’s ability for sufficient service delivery• Electricity supply• The cost of crime• Efficiency of national infrastructure• Cost of transport

Warwich House (Coprex) en Barry Gibbs (KZN)

Jeff van Zyl (No 2 Piggery), Alteli de Vil-liers en Jurgens Reynders (Kanhym/PIC)

Norman Cilliers (Zeder Investments) en Helena van Eeden (Agri Wes-Kaap)

Dr Gary Bührmann en dr Jim Robin-son, albei varkveeartse

Christiaan van Lamp (Mountain View Piggery), Mike Jack (Hazely Pig) en Samuel Wolhuter (Nova Voere)

Desmond Addams (Riebeek-Wes), Lennox Tom (Wes-Kaap-promosies-pan) en Xakata Gala (Mbwekweni)

WESTERN CAPE AGM


WESTERN CAPE AGM

Bemagtigingprojekte in Wes-Kaap Van die vele sake dié jaar op die KVPV se agenda was bemagtigin-sprojekte wat in oorleg met die Wes-Kaapse Departement van Landbou van stapel gestuur word, het Pieter de Jager, voorsitter van die verenig-ing, by die vergadering gesê .

“Die departement het fondse vir be-magtigingsprojekte beskikbaar gestel wat in oorleg met die bedryf geëvalueer, goedgekeur en aangepak word . Daar is in samewerking met die departement ‘n vaste stel riglyne opgestel waarvol-gens transformasieprojekte voortaan

hanteer sal word . voorligtingsbeamptes kan moontlike projekte identifiseer en potensiële begunstigdes aanwys . Die aansoeker moet in oorleg met raadgew-ers ‘n besigheidsplan opstel wat aan ‘n komitee voorgelê moet word . Dit word aan die hand van ‘n 13-punt-plan geëvalueer en goedgekeur . Daar word ook mentors aangewys om die goedgekeurde projekte by te staan . Bei-de die huidige twee projekte by Porter-ville en Boesmansrivier word in afwagting op die departement omgewingsake se goedkeuring van omgewingsimpakstud-ies vertraag,” het De Jager gesê .

Promosies: Langtermynsiening noodsaaklikDit is noodsaaklik dat produsente ‘n langtermynsiening met promosies in gedagte hou, het Marieta Human, SAVPO en die Wes-Kaap se promo-siek-oördineerder, by die vergader-ing gesê . “Dit is hoekom ons moet aanhou en aanhou om varkvleis te bemark en waarom ons moet aanhou om verbrui-kersopleiding te doen . Dis nie genoeg om verbruikers net een maal van vark-vleis te vertel nie . As hulle nie die regte boodskap hoor nie, gaan hulle hul ore uitleen vir ander boodskappe, wat nie noodwendig korrek gaan wees nie . As

jy nie vir mense die regte boodskap gee nie, gaan hulle waarskynlik die verkeerde een hoor en glo,” het Human gesê . Sy het daarop gewys dat die Wes-Kaap se promosiespan baie in persoon-like verhoudings met produsente, die handel, abattoirs en die media belê het . “Hulle weet dat ons altyd doen wat ons belowe en dat hulle ons kan vertrou en op ons kan staatmaak .” Wat massakommunikasie met verbruikers betref, gebruik die span hoofsaaklik hoofstroom- en streekskoe-rante . “Ons begroting maak nie vir radio voorsiening nie . In die Wes-Kaap het ons ‘n unieke situasie met baie verskillende

kulture . Daar is 24 radiostasies wat dit moeilik en duur maak om via die radio met verbruikers te kommunikeer . Ons kry goeie dekking in koerante en vark-vleis is dikwels op bl 3 of bl 5 van die koerant te sien, uitsoekposissies dus, waarvoor ons ook dikwels afslag kry,” aldus Human . Vanjaar was daar elke maand ‘n promosie met ‘n groot supermarkgroep wat baie suksesvol was en tot goeie varkvleisverkope gelei het . SAVPO se Amaboerie-wors was ‘n groot treffer, het Human gesê .

Erkenning vir staatmakerdiens

Lydia Jacobs wat vir baie jare staatmakerdiens as promo-siedame vir varkvleis in die Wes-Kaap gedoen het, het onlangs die tuig neergelê . Sy het by die algemene jaarvergadering van die KVPV ‘n oorkonde ontvang vir haar uitmunte diens aan die vark-vleisbedryf . Dankie Lydia! Op die foto ontvang sy ‘n oorkonde van Pieter de Jager, voorsitter van die vereniging .

BTA a sensible way to spend leviesThe establishment of SAPPO’s train-ing academy at Baynesfield near Pietermaritzburg was a sensible way to spend the 20% of the statu-tory levy earmarked for developing pig producers, said Barry Gibbs, SAPPO’s vice-chairman, at the an-nual general meeting . “We believe that training is the way forward .”

Baynesfield was an established pig unit, and the project is a joint venture between SAPPO and the Baynesfield

Trust . “The piggery however needed a complete revamp as we needed a state-of-the-art-facility for training purposes . The facility can accommodate ten students at a time, and we try to stick to this number as we only have sleeping facilities for ten students . “They eat, sleep and dream pigs for two weeks . The variety of people who attend the course is amazing . We had people across the board, including at-torneys and CAs . Some go away and say: No this is not for us . Others are

clearly inspired and will go out and be successful pork producers . We need to train pig farmers for the future . We can also accommodate farm workers . Please send them, they will enjoy it,” Gibbs said .

Niekie de Wet (No 2 Piggeries) en Francois du Toit (TOPIGS SA)

Leon Muller (Boehringer Ingelheim), Carli Nel (Lionels Vet) en Andrew Rheeders (TOPIGS SA)

Gerrie Oberholzer (Roelcor), Pieter de Jager (KVPV) en Jacques Retief (Roelcor)


Drive your market, says Barry Gibbs

Highlights of the KZN Pork Producers’ Organi-sation (KZNPPO)’s annual general meeting

“My advice to every pig producer is to drive his or her market . It is im-perative that you stay alive . The pork industry has lost a lot of producers in recent times, and we can’t afford to lose any more,” said Barry Gibbs in his chairman’s report at the KZNPPO annual general meeting .

“The industry is going through another difficult year. Input costs have escalated to an all-time high, and the industrial ac-tion, which took place over the Christ-mas period, created a problem, not only in KwaZulu-Natal, but also in the rest of the country . “Once again, KZNPPO concentrated

its promotion efforts on in-store demon-strations . All the provincial areas are now on board, and the producers have reaped the benefits of these promo-tions,” Gibbs said . He pointed out that imports are the highest they have ever been . “The import figures for April and May 2013 are extremely high, which is a matter of con-cern . However, the rand/dollar exchange rate is in favour of the local industry .” Gibbs reported that South Africa’s FMD status is still unchanged, while the country’s CSF and PRRS status remains negative . He welcomed the introduction of the Veterinarian Procedural Notice to import-

ing countries, which requires importers to meet the South African requirements on pork for the prevention of PRRS . The protocol came into effect on 31 May 2013 . It is imperative that all produc-ers maintain high biosecurity measures, Gibbs said . The Baynesfield Training Academy has proved to be very successful . It is open to all producers who require any form of staff education or training throughout South Africa . Lee Sanders is the new general man-ager of the academy and Thami Zumi has been co-opted onto the KZNPPO as the developing farmer representative, Gibbs said .

Communication channels are open“I am satisfied that SAPPO is doing eve-rything in its power to keep the commu-nication channels between the organisa-tion and pig producers open,” said Peter Mockford, outgoing chairman of SAPPO at the KZNPPO annual general meeting . “With communication tools such as

Porcus, the organisation’s electronic newsletter, SAPPOInfo and SAPPO’s website, more communication is now taking place than ever before . Mockford said that SAPPO could also not be criticised for not trying to engage with government to outline the problems

that the industry is currently experiencing with imports . “Despite numerous efforts, no meeting could be organised with the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fish-eries, Tina Joemat-Peterson . However,

Continued on p 29

Promotion ladies Sally Wilson (Pietermaritzburg) and Heather Cullinan (Durban)

Chantell Ilbury (scenario strategist), Barry Gibbs (KZNPPO) and Hayley Jackson (KZNPPO)

Grant Lavers (Mtonjeni), Trevor and Maureen Thorpe (Gumcreek Farm)

Peter Morphew (Karkloof), Jan Oosthuizen and Kevin Caldecott (both from Coprex)

Gordon Odell (Bovasol) and Peter Sherratt (ASA Products)

KZN AGM


produced, and a new Pork 360 website will soon be up and run-ning, Dr Evans said . The marketing of the scheme to the trade is currently being conducted and the scheme has already been positively received by Shoprite Checkers . Currently, 38 pig units, representing 44 000 sows, are participating . Pork 360 is also in the process of being internationally certi-fied with ISC South Africa. The system is upgraded according to the world’s leading management system standards that are applied to the processes that create and control the products and services of the organisation . Pork 360’s manual and audit system has been updated in ac-cordance to ISO 9001, ISO14000, ISO 18000, ISO 22000 and the system will be certified by end of October 2013 . All auditors will be certified inter-nally to conduct audits in accord-ance to the relevant regulations, Dr Evans said .

the organisation has successfully met with the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies . The meeting was very posi-tive, and various issues were brought to his attention, inter alia the pork industry’s concerns about imports, tariffs and the resultant job losses in the industry .” During the past year, various meetings also took place with representatives of the trade, as part of an effort to double SAPPO’s promotion activities . The drive to keep PRRS out of the country, remains of critical importance, Mockford said . “No effort will be spared in achieving this goal, especially because South Africa is one of only five countries in the world who are free of PRRS . The Veterinarian Procedural Notice to import-ing countries, which requires importers to meet the South African requirements on pork for the prevention of PRRS, came into effect on 31 May 2013 .

Food security critical“There are huge opportunities in Afri-ca, especially in the agricultural sec-tor . Food security is one of the most critical global sectors and resources of the future,” said Chantell Ilbury, a scenario strategist, at the KZNPPO’s annual general meeting .

“It is impossible to be part of the global community if you don’t keep abreast of the trends and changes taking place . Consumers are changing, agriculture is shifting and it is difficult to stay in the game . In agriculture, the rules of the game are changing throughout the entire supply chain . “Although it is clear that food is going to be one of the most critical resources of the future, there are still a lot of uncer-tainties . These uncertainties include the

decisions producers have to take, what their priorities should be, what options for change exist and what the innovations are which will have an effect on agricul-ture,” Ilbury said .

Global scenario

Illbury said that the key drivers which currently make a country competitive are land, people and capital . Those countries which have a lot of all three commodities are highly successful . There are currently 13 such super powers in the world . “However, there is a shift in what is go-ing to be the drivers of the future . These drivers are going to be water, food and energy . For any country to go forward, it is critical to have these factors in abun-dance .” Ilbury identified the following 21st cen-tury mega trends:• Populations are aging.• More economies will return to a steady state .• We have moved from the age of knowledge to the age of intelligence .• It is about defending, not growing wealth .• Education is out of sync with the job market and the changing nature of work .• A second, more dangerous scramble for resources are on the cards .• Wars will continue, with more sophisti-cated weapons .• Natural disasters will come out of the blue .• Dictation regimes will become rarer, but will not necessarily be replaced by democracy .• Work/life balance is now even more elusive .

South African scenario

Ilbury said that South Africa is at a cross

road . In the late 1990’s/early 2000’s, the country had to choose between a high-road and a low-road scenario . The high road was taken as far as the political situation is concerned . “We are now at a point where we have to choose again . South Africa is part of the premier league of countries and will have to choose to either stay there or shift to being a second-division country . The indications are that we are shifting to the second league,” she said . The second possible scenario, espe-cially in light of the strikes in the mining and agricultural industries, which were not peaceful, is of South Africa becoming a failed state . She said there is huge internal uncer-tainty in the country and that another Codesa (Convention for a Democratic South Africa) conference is needed where all players in the different fields are represented . “Inclusive leadership is becoming elusive . Without leadership, South Africa will definitely become a second-division country . However, to its credit, the coun-try still has pockets of excellence,” Ilbury said .

Communication continued from p 28

Pork 360 continued from p 23

Craig McCord, Thami Zimu, Myles Van Deventer and Peter Rolland (all from the KZNPPO council)

KZN AGM

Meadow is at the forefront of tech-nology and is a leader in the manu-facture of animal feeds . Investments in the latest equipment, computer hardware and software have always been a focus at Meadow in order to remain technologically proficient and ahead of the pack .

“More than just feed”, the slogan which every Meadow employee strives to de-liver epitomises the special relationship Meadow’s Technical Advisors have with our customers . Over the years we have taken note of their hunger for innovative ways to cut costs or increase production output . Meadow Feeds has embarked on a fresh drive to deliver even better service with the introduction of iFeed . Intelligent, which the ”i” refers to, would encap-sulate all of Meadow’s initiatives which were designed to offer more intelligent service levels to our customers through the use of technological advancements yet to be used in the animal feed indus-try . Meadow Technical Advisors now offer even more with Apple iPad applications which were designed specifically for their respective species . Our vision was that technical advisors can arrive on farm with tools which will assist farmers to make informed decisions about their business activities . Each species has product profiles available which can be easily emailed or printed . The applications were designed to take on farm parameters and calcu-late scenarios quickly without the need to step into the office. The more time our technical advisors spend on farm, the more value we believe we are adding to their business . Meadow’s Technical Advisors are equipped with an assortment of sam-pling tools in addition to meters which can measure temperature, ammonia, pH, airflow and CO

2 levels . Our techni-cal advisors have welcomed this fresh approach and have demonstrated their eagerness to learn more which has made the launch of iFeed a seamless exercise . At the Large Herds Dairy Conference held in Durban during July, Meadow launched iFeed . Dairy producers were

invited to the Meadow Feeds stand to witness the Meadow App, which is the first of its kind in Africa. Consultants from Australia and New Zealand were intrigued and commended Meadow on the innovative steps taken to keep abreast with technology; they too had never seen a feed company develop anything like it . The Pig App was launched at the South African Pork Producers Confer-ence on 4 and 5 September 2013 where producers had an opportunity to run simulations during the conference and will have an opportunity to get a techni-cal advisor to demonstrate it on farm after the conference . Meadow embarked on an ambitious project to monitor customer’s bulk bins . In line with the iFeed concept, this initia-tive will deliver service which ensures that our customers participating in this exciting new development will never need to pick up a phone to order feed again . A number of farms in the Eastern Cape have had load cells and transmit-ters installed which communicate wire-

lessly with Meadow at all times . This not only ensures that farmers never run out of feed but also optimises delivery ef-ficiencies and ultimately reduces costs. Bins on load cells offer other advan-tages which include; measuring feed intakes per day, live FCR’s, stock man-agement and prevention of theft . The software also displays proof of delivery therefore making nighttime deliveries a possibility in the future . We believe that by continually invest-ing in technology, we can better serve our customers who demand innovative solutions to complex problems . Facing these challenges head-on demon-strates our commitment to leading to-day’s farmers into tomorrow . Meadow guarantees that we will remain leaders in animal feed technology and continue to seek new ways to add services to the iFeed brand .

For more information and advice con-tact your Technical Advisor at Meadow Feeds or phone (011) 991 6000 . Visit the website at www .meadowfeeds .co .za

Investing in technology PROMOTIONAL

by Mark Surendorff, Meadow Feeds



ANIMAL HEALTH

SAPPO identified some risk factors that had to be managed to ensure that PRRS was not re-introduced into South Africa . The more impor-tant risk factors identified were: galley waste, imported live pigs car-rying the virus, semen and unpro-cessed raw pork containing lymph tissue .

Many countries are initiating PRRS eradication programmes including USA (Midwest states), Canada (Ontario), France and Chile to name but a few . Over and above the costs of PRRS,

controlling PRRS has been fraught with challenges . Vaccinations have largely proved unreliable and in some instances have exacerbated disease situations . There are numerous reports of mutated vaccine strains been implicated in PRRS breakdowns . The cost of PRRS to the South African pig farmer would be significant. Some studies have indicated that these losses would be in the order of R750 – R1 000 per breeding female per year . In SA terms with 100 000 sows this could cost the country a minimum of R75 million per annum if PRRS became endemic . The result would be impairment on the competitiveness of the South African pork industry globally, followed by fewer pig farms, loss of jobs and a severe hurdle for emerging farm-ers wanting to enter the pig industry .1 . To prevent the risk of PRRS entering the country, SAPPO does regular inde-pendent, unannounced audit inspections

on galley waste removal procedures .2 . Vigorous surveillance and testing is done on live pigs to be imported, firstly in the country of origin and secondly, once live pigs have arrived in the quar-antine facilities where they are housed .3 . Similar testing is done on donor boars in countries of origin before the semen is shipped to the RSA .4 . The Veterinary Procedural Notice (VPN 42), which governs which pork products can be imported without restriction and which pork products need to go to a registered facility for further processing before being sold, has now come into effect . (Implemented 31st May 2013) Trade and importation of pork com-modities is to be encouraged, but the risks and dangers of PRRS affecting our national pig herd must be mitigated . SAPPO understands that a zero risk policy would preclude any importations, which would not be in the best inter-ests of our consumers or pig industry as a whole, thus the control and audit procedures envisaged in the VPN is a satisfactory compromise . SAPPO calls on producers to remain vigilant, practice good biosecurity, en-courage them to become compartmen-talised and seriously consider joining the Pork 360 quality assurance scheme . “A healthy national herd is good for the producer, the pigs and the consum-er .”


Submitted by SAPPO’s Health and Welfare Committee

SAPPO calls on producers to remain vigilant, practice good biosecurity, encour-age them to become compartmentalised and seriously consider join-ing the Pork 360 quality assurance scheme .

SAPPO received the following letter from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, dated 2 Au-gust 2013 . “Following the implementation of the restrictions on the import of pork due to the risk of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), DAFF has negotiated new permit requirements with several trade partners . An update on which countries DAFF has negotiated permits with, as well as the country- specific lists of exempted products, that can be imported on the permits for unrestricted scale can all be found on the DAFF website: http://www .daff .gov .za/Agricultural Production/Health & Food Safety Branch/Food and Veterinary Services/Import/Export/Import/Restric-tions on the import of pork due to the risk of PRRS . There are basically three different categories of imported pork:1 . Pork that arrived in South Africa before 31 July 2013 on the previous requirements and pork from countries

free from PRRS (derestricted product)2 . Pork for unrestricted sale (lower risk anatomically described cuts, specifi-cally negotiated products – treated as exempt product)3 . Pork for further processing (treated as restricted product) The derestricted product will be inspected on arrival in accordance with prior procedures . The exempt product (for unrestrict-ed sale) will be inspected on arrival (at an import-approved cold store) for compliance to the specified anatomi-cal description that was negotiated with the specific trade partner. Should all be in order the consignment will be unconditionally released . In the case of restricted product, the product will be inspected on arrival (at an import-approved cold store) . Should all be found compliant on inspection, the consignment will be conditionally released with docu-ments stating which approved facility

Update on the implementation of the PRRS import restrictions

Continued on p 37


PRODUCTIONPRODUCTION

Pondering Points

Pilot-less planes with smart bombs that decide whether to fire and what at, driverless cars (we could nominate a few people we know to be car-less drivers), GPS’s that can pinpoint us to within a metre from space, stem cells from our own umbilicus that circulate and grow new organs where we need them, stock market computers that analyse share price trends and buy and sell in milliseconds – it’s getting scarier every day!

So when did this crazy trend start gathering speed?

Ponder this:An aged relative who died in 1998 at the age of 95 was constantly amazed, and so were we, at what develop-ments she had seen in one lifetime:• Motor cars became weather-proof and could travel at 100 miles per hour instead of 10;• Aeroplanes arrived and got jet engines and could carry hundreds of passengers instead of four and thousands could fly through the sky without hitting each other;• Rocket ships were invented and landed a man on the moon;• Weapons were developed that could, and did, destroy most of a city with one bomb;• The internet, personal computers and cell phones arrived and were use-ful;• Medical science made huge ad-vances, delivering such wonders as antibiotics, organ transplants, nuclear diagnostics, chemotherapy, cardiac stents;• Animal and crop production kept pace with the increasing populations by selection, nutrition and health care .Early on in the 20th century, the story goes, the Director of the Patent Of-fice in London took early retirement because he felt that as horses were being replaced by the internal com-bustion engine, ships could sail under the sea and heavier than air machines could fly, there was nothing left to

invent so his job was over .

So what now?

That was all wonderful but now just ordinary, so what’s coming up in the lift to make life interesting and easier perhaps in this 21st century that is only just starting? So far it’s been largely about speed and scope of technical development, miniaturisation, communication and biological manipulation and if you don’t think it can be a bit scary as the years go by, ponder the following samples that are already with us or waiting round the corner . How about:• Computer power: the calculating speed of computers doubles every 20 months (Moore’s Law) . This means that by the time babies being born this year are ready for school in five years’ time our present smart phones (each of which already has more com-puting power than it took to send Neil Armstrong and the rest to the moon) will be eight times faster, and by the time these kids write matric in the unlikely event that exams still exist, little communicating gadgets will be permanently attached to their heads delivering and processing data at a rate 500 times as fast as when they were in grade 1 .• Communication 1: the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the fantastic radio telescope near Carnarvon in the Karoo is already being built with the Kat and Meerkat forerunners being commissioned and, when completed in 2018 will, in its first full week of activity, accumulate and analyse as much data from space as man-kind has done in all of history so far . Perhaps this will bring the discovery of messages intelligible to us, with our restricted human brains, from other beings in this Milky Way galaxy that has – astronomers now believe – about eleven billion earth-sized planets circling stars somewhere out there . If we get a proper visit that we are aware of from what we arrogantly

call “aliens”, PP is betting that they will not be small and green and sort of human and speak English! (What an insult to a creator who made the whole thing) .• Communication 2: apart from the compulsion of too many of our world population to spend their time in tex-ting, posting, sharing, liking, not lik-ing, and tweeting trivia and what this does to their awareness of the real world, we all need to know this: every keystroke we make and every item we browse on the web is not destroyed but is sitting on some cyber cloud with our computer’s i/d on it . What is worse is that soon, if not already, it is being studied by a bigger, faster computer which then tells Google or Facebook that whoever is driving that PC is interested in, say, sports, travel, food, horror movies and clothes . This determines which ads appear on your screen as you sit there wondering how social media and search engine entrepreneurs got so rich .• Genetic manipulation: up to now, geneticists have had little control over the nature and consequences of mutation, but have done a mostly great job of using their knowledge of the genomes of plants and animals to improve their yields and quality through genetic modification – hence GM fruits, maize, resistant strains of plants and so forth . • The pig genome is now pretty well understood and we can watch out for GM pigs with E coli resistance, less (or better) fat distribution, faster growth, more efficient feed conversion and a pleasant smell!• The list of what is coming is long and includes things like robotics, nanotechnology, hypersonic transport and, terrifyingly, the possibility of a human GM variant with tailor-made attributes more able to handle the remains of this poor abused planet when we have finished wrecking it . Please, not that!

The future’s not what it used to be . . . . . .but the present seems much the same (since yesterday, anyway)



INDUSTRY

The KZN promotion team had a very successful stand at the Good Food and Wine Show this year, says Heather Culli-nan, promotion lady for Pietermaritzburg . The show ran from 8 to 11 August at the Exhibition Centre in Durban . “We gave out tasters of pork neck steaks and various pork sausages over the four-day period . The interest in our stand was enormous . People tasted, asked questions and they were keen

to receive recipes and different cooking ideas .” Heather says that people from all age groups visited the stand . “Many were young Indian and black people who said they had never eaten pork before as their parents did not cook it at home . There is definitely a change in the outlook of the younger generation towards eating pork they all loved the tasters . We also had many girls from colleges as far as

Mpumalanga who study hospitality . They all took recipes and DVD’s . “We also saw many familiar faces of people who had been at the show in previous years they told us that they now buy and cook pork since their experi-ences at our stands in previous years . “We grilled over 30 kg of pork per day, which was sponsored by Sala . The show reaches many people who are not regu-lar shoppers in meat stores .” she says .

KZN promotion team reaches many new consumers

By Lee Sanders, general manager, Baynesfield Training Academy One of the Baynesfield Training Academy (BTA) graduates, Carole Kirkwood-Pretorius from the Ceres district in the West-ern Cape was recently awarded Female Entrepreneur of the Year 2013, Western Cape, in the category Top Entrepreneur: Smallholding, Western Cape, in DAFF’s annual competition . Carole, passionate about her animals and agriculture, attended the Introduction to Pig Farming Course at the academy in April 2013 and was an exemplary student . The BTA congratulates her on her award . The photographs on the next page were taken at various succesfull courses at the BTA .

Many success stories at Baynesfield


PRODUCTION

De Heus

7 August 2013: Aspiring farmers on a short course at Cedara visit the BTA to get a practical perspective on the operation of a commercial pig production unit .

A total of 12 students on a visit to the Baynesfield Estate feed mill in August . From left: Nhlanhla, Swelamandla, Thabo, Shalele, Matlou, Cebisile, Londi, Nomusa, Tshegofatso, Katlego

In August students of Course 13 successfully com-pleted the Introduction to Pig Production Course . Seated from left: Thoko, Bongiwe, Tintswalo and Deliwe . Standing are Dumisani, Qinisela, Tlhabaki, Adolf and Dennis

Students on their way to visit the local abattoir in July with Sabelo (left), one of the BTA’s interns . From left are Sabelo (BTA staff), Ntotlhang, Thulile, Lungisani, Benfred, Godfrey and Lekoko

37Porcus August/September 2013

PROMOTION

Are we staying curious and em-bracing new technologies in the agricultural industry? That was the challenge proposed recently dur-ing Alltech’s African Lecture Tour, which kicked off on Monday, Sep-tember 9 at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Nigeria, the fi rst of four stops on the 2013 African tour schedule . Industry experts discussed the latest innova-tions in nutritional technologies and presented opportunities for opera-tions to connect with customers and deliver a difference .

The tour continued to Nairobi, Kenya, on September 11 before moving on to South Africa . The University of Pretoria welcomed the tour on September 12, and the University of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape hosted the tour’s conclud-ing stop on September 13 . “We are faced with a daunting task of feeding a rapidly growing population,” said Janus Fouche, Alltech regional sales manager, at the meeting in Pretoria . “The only way we are going to achieve success is if we remain curious, embrace new technologies and brand ourselves among this growing population .” The 2013 lecture tour program, Stay Curious, featured presentations highlighting the latest developments in improving feed effi ciency, targeting nutrition at the genetic level for improved performance, health and effi ciency, Salmonella control, mycotoxin management, social media and branding . The tour discussed why members of the agricultural industry “should bother” with branding their products. Benefi ts of branding include customer loyalty, a higher price and volume for products, a cost advantage, an increase in media reach through the Internet, an identifi ca-tion of and equity for new products, and, most importantly, a platform for the ag industry to tell their story . “Stories are how people connect, are what people remember, are how people learn and are what people share,” said Paulo Rezende, global events coor-dinator for Alltech . “Are we telling our stories?”

On the animal nutrition side, Dr Kate Jacques, director of nutrition at Alltech, discussed how nutritionists are seeking solutions at the cellular level through the genechip, a DNA microarray, to measure gene expression that allows scientists to analyze the impact of nutrition programs on a very large number of genes at once . With this technology, scientists have found that nutrients are “gene switches” that regulate bio-functions . “When we discussed animal nutrition, we talked about increasing performance through a stress pack,” Jacques said . “Today we are discussing nutrigenom-ics and how we can feed our animals to up-regulate their genes, improve immune response, advance carcass quality and leave less stress on the environment . It’s a game changer .” Dr Karina Horgan, assistant director at Alltech’s Bioscience Centre in Ireland, discussed the importance of gut health as a measure of feed effi ciency, and how modifi ed carbohydrates such as mannan-oligosaccharides in the form of Bio-Mos® or Actigen® could pre-vent and manage dysbacterioses . “The gastro-intestinal tract utilizes a large percentage of the total protein in the diet to regenerate and maintain itself; if it also then has to launch an energy sap-ping immune response due to bacterial infection, nutrients meant for growth get utilized, and, as a result, feed effi ciency suffers .” Actigen® and Bio-Mos® are able to agglutinate gram-negative bacteria,

which include many E .coli and salmo-nella species, thereby preventing them from attaching to the gut wall where they can cause infections . She added that “not all mannan products are equal . It is the form in which the mannan sugars are presented that determines their function and effi cacy.” The tour concluded with a presenta-tion by Dr Richard Murphy, director of research at Alltech’s Bioscience Centre in Dunboyne, Ireland . Dr Murphy talked on the advances that have been made in analysing for mycotoxins . “With the advances in technology, over the past 20 years, we can now analyze for toxins at the parts per quadrillion (qpm) level, whereas before we looked at the parts per million (ppm) level,” said Murphy . Murphy introduced the audience to Alltech’s 37+™ Program, which utilizes LC-MS/MS technology and can analyze for 38 different mycotoxins from a single sample in less than 15 minutes . Murphy showed that, in 2012, 80% of samples analyzed contained between fi ve and 11 toxins . “Multiple mycotoxin contamina-tion seems to be the new normal, and therefore it is important for producers to have a comprehensive mycotoxin man-agement program or strategy .”

For more information on the speakers, their presentations or the event, please contact your local Alltech representative or the Alltech offi ce at 021 865 2669.

Alltech’s African lecture tour challenges agribusiness to embrace new technologies

the consignment will be going to, the description of the product as well as the quantity . At arrival of the consignment at the PPP facility (approved in terms of VPN 42) registers need to be kept of all restricted product received . This restricted product must be store in an area that is separated from the storage of other products . Should this not be possible, all products stored with the restricted product will then be seen

as restricted product and will have to be processed in accordance with VPN 42 . Auditable records of the movement of restricted product through the PPP facility will need to be kept . All restricted product arriving at the specifi c PPP facility will need to be processed at that PPP facility and no restricted product will be allowed to leave the facility without fi rst being processed in accordance with VPN 42 .

All enquiries can be referred to Leana-JVR@daff .gov .za

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39Porcus Augustus/September 2013

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