Farmers, traders resort to plan B while legal action ensues
● Livestock, auctions ban putting agriculture industry under further threat
The controversial and crippling nationwide ban on livestock gatherings and auctions continues, despite an urgent hearing in the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday countering the prohibition.
At least 50 emerging farmers, co-operatives and livestock auctioneers took legal action against agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza over her decision to ban all auctions across the country due to an ongoing foot-and-mouth disease threat.
The farmers are asking the minister to lift the “irrational” ban in eight out of nine provinces in the country, as there have been zero reported cases of foot-and-mouth disease outside Limpopo.
The case was heard on Tuesday but postponed to February 12. The applicants have called on other farmers and affected parties to get involved in support of the lawsuit.
According to Noko Masipa, DA MP on the portfolio committee on agriculture, land reform & rural development, the national government had failed farmers.
“It is unfortunate that amid a national drought, farmers are now being forced to go to court to ensure they can conduct the ordinary business of trading livestock.
“The severity of this outbreak cannot be downplayed as the outbreak of FMD in January last year alone resulted in a brief ban on South African wool and meat exports, which cost the economy in excess of R10bn,” he said.
Moreover, he said, the minister had failed to adhere to “the clear World Organisation for Animal Health guidelines on what exactly needed to be done with an outbreak of footand-mouth disease.”
Following the first outbreak in January last year, another was reported in November, ahead of the livestock high season.
SA’s status as a foot-andmouth-free zone, as recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health, remains suspended.
Meanwhile, Eastern Cape farmers and livestock traders are scrambling to maintain lucrative trade amid the national ban. According to Vleissentraal Eastern Cape MD Chris Troskie, traders have continued to support farmers by conducting closed sales and out-ofhand transactions.
“Major joint auctions on which many farmers depended were cancelled in the past couple of weeks,” Troskie said.
To accommodate the farmers, traders have had to sell and move livestock one farmer at a time.
“We are forced to host closed auctions — where only one farmer’s stock is sold at a time — since the gathering of livestock from multiple sources is prohibited.
“It has been a challenge, especially over the past high season and with many farmers needing to sell livestock due to the drought.
“The closed sales mean extra logistical challenges and costs which the producers and traders have to carry,” Troskie said.
Andrew Jordaan Jnr, from Spekboomberg Farm outside Cradock, said they had been worried that their annual production sale would be cancelled due to the ban.
The sale is one of their business’s most important annual income-generating events.
“Thankfully, it is approved to take place on February 6 because only livestock from a single producer will be on offer.
“A qualified state veterinarian has also certified the farm and livestock as healthy and acceptable for the market,” he said.
According to Jordaan, smaller farmers have it worst as they cannot host production sales with only a handful of stock.
“Farmers now need to fill up a full truckload of livestock to justify a sale to the abattoir.
“This takes about 800 head of sheep, which many farmers can’t deliver on their own.
“They are left to sell livestock bit by bit to small-scale buyers,” he said.
Despite the challenges, the industry is regaining its momentum.
Widespread rains in the Eastern Cape mark a turning point for farmers who were at their wits’ end at the end of 2019.
In a few weeks, new grazing will start to grow and natural grazing will start to recover.
“Farmers will remain on their knees,” Jordaan said.
“We will be selling a lot of livestock as the land and grazing camps have taken a massive knock.
“Farmers had no choice but to put livestock in depleted camps during this drought.”