RPO Red Meat Bulletin December 2019

Welcome to the November 2019 issue of the Red Meat Producers Organisation Newsletter

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Constructive cooperation with government

“The conversation with the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development on the foot and mouth diseases (FMD) situation which took place was very constructive”, says Mr Koos van der Ryst, Chairman of the Red Meat Industry Forum (RMIF).

The meeting has been requested by the RMIF. There is consensus that the industry and the authorities have to focus om the competitiveness of the red meat industry.

FMD: farmers must protect their animals

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development advises farmers and livestock owners that all parties transacting with cloven-hoofed animals should observe the utmost caution.

All gatherings of animals from more than one source (incl. auctions, livestock shows, and speculative transactions) are discouraged until the exact situation is known.

Meatless meat sparks backlash

Next-generation vegan "meat" has become so popular, it’s available or being tested at more than a dozen chain restaurants . Now, some industry groups and others are pushing back.

A pair of congressmen have introduced the Real MEAT Act of 2019, which would require faux-meat companies to use the word "imitation" on packaging.

“A growing number of fake meat products are clearly trying to mislead consumers about what they’re trying to get them to buy,” Jennifer Houston, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says in a statement.

And even the CEOs of some leading natural-foods companies have raised concerns. the food industry-backed Center for Consumer Freedom ran a full-page ad in The New York Times with the headline, "What's Hiding in Your Plant-Based Meat?" The ad blasts vegan meats as "ultra-processed imitations with dozens of ingredients."

These echoes concerns voiced by John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods. “Some of these products that are extremely popular now that are taking the world by storm are super, highly processed foods.”

Souce : https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20191105/meatless-meat-sparks-backlash

Population, waste bigger environmental factors than livestock

As the world’s population increases and the planet’s temperature rises, many are pointing to animal agriculture as a leading cause of climate change, said Dr. Robin White from the Virignia State University.

White said animal agriculture can and must become a significantly more sustainable industry. Much of her research focuses on sustainable beef production that takes into account human and animal nutrition as well as climate change, social justice, animal welfare and the impact of emerging ag-tech.

Perspective

How important is grasslands for the survival of the continent?
This sounds rather dramatic if not alarming. It is intended to be ! Why ? Because it affects sustainability of livestock farming, which is crucial for food security in Africa and indeed, southern Africa. Recently, a process of afforestation has been initiated to plant trees (plantations) across Africa, covering 3.5 million km² of mostly grassy biomes (cited below), on the assumption that it would assist in cooling the earth as it should assist in capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

FMD: adhere to these biosecurity measures

During an FMD outbreak it is the producer’s responsibility to keep their animals from getting infected.

Although FMD does not pose a food safety or public health concern it has a major impact on animal health and international trade.
Each commercial farm should appoint a biosecurity manager.

The Lazy Makoti and Lamb and Mutton SA Christmas Classes- A huge success!

The first Lamb and Mutton SA and Lazy Makoti collaborative Christmas cooking class took place on Friday the 15^th of November. This class was so successful and by popular demand we added another class on Saturday the 7^th of December in Johannesburg- that means there will be two Lamb and Mutton SA and Lazy Makoti Christmas classes, scheduled for 09:30 and 13:00. The feedback on these classes has been extremely positive. The demographics of the participants are mostly African females between the ages of 20 and 35 years pursuing professional careers and who doesn’t have advanced cooking skills or knowledge. According to Lamb and Mutton SA consumer market research by Ask Africa in 2019 this group of women indexed the highest when it came to red meat consumption. For more information and live updates on Saturday’s classes visit cooking_with_lamb on Instagram or Healthy Meat- by Lamb and Mutton SA on Facebook.

Lamb and Mutton SA wants to thank each South African red meat producer for the support this past year and wish you all a blessed Festive Season filled with love and time spent with family, friends and good food!

December 2019

Federation convenes

The South African Federation of Red Meat Producers', a formal structure consisting of the RPO and NERPO, recently held its annual council meeting where matters of common interest to emerging and commercial red meat producers were discussed.

The meeting was kicked off with a motion of compassion with those producers, farmworkers and livestock which are currently suffering from the devastating drought.

Voermol sponsor-ship and agreement reconfirmed

The agreement between the RPO and Voermol which has been in place since December 2013 with relation to the sales of the products SB100 and SS200, was recently reconfirmed.

Messrs Kenny Crampton and Mark Barlow of Voermol and James Faber and Gerhard Schutte of the RPO, were present at the handing over of the cheque.

Red meat trends from the world’s biggest food trade show

Anuga 2019, the world’s largest food trade show held in Cologne, Germany every two years, was recently held.

The event attracts more than 170 000 trade visitors over five days, with a heavy emphasis on new product launches, consumer and retailing trends and new market entrants, as global red meat trade barriers continue to dissolve around the world.

Do you want to manage droughts better?

Then the book “Smart drought management for livestock farmers” is what you need.

The author, Dr Louis du Pisani, says the goal with this book is to motivate livestock farmers in Southern Africa to start thinking differently about drought preparedness and start introducing a range of drought coping mechanisms into their farm management systems that will reduce their vulnerability and sensitivity to drought.

The latest on imports

It is Agri Inspec’s mandate to investigate import irregularities in the red meat industry.

The following trends were identified in the most recent report:

Bovine meat imports for September 2019 amounts to 2 145 tons. This represents a decrease of 12.73% if compared to September 2018. The FOB (Free on Board) price for September 2019 was R36.06 p/kg and for September 2018 was R31.18 p/kg. This represents an increase of 15.65 % in the price per kilogram.

Livestock market trends

The demand for beef has been quiet for months, while lamb and mutton prices traded mostly negative during the week of 22 November, according to ABSA Agri Trends.

Beef
Four more cases of FMD outbreak had been confirmed in feedlots in Limpopo earlier this week. Uncertainty about the FMD outbreak in Limpopo added downward pressure to the weaner calf prices this week. The demand for beef has been quiet for months. The market hopes that Black Friday and the festive season will bring about increased domestic demand.

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