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This week’s edition of Farmer’s Weekly looks at the dilapidated conditions at the Potchefstroom College of Agriculture, which is a cause of serious concern. This is according to the Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI).

SAAI had obtained legal advice about possible actions that could be taken to save the college from total collapse. Ryan adds that the maintenance of the buildings and grounds has fallen so far behind that it made the environment unsafe to study and work in.

She says SAAI has also received reports about emaciated and undernourished animals as well as generally poor animal welfare at the college. SAAI is particularly concerned about the general abandonment and neglect of the quality of tertiary agricultural training at the college.

Another story in this week’s edition takes a look at the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development’s (DALRRD) recent instruction that plant-based meat alternatives may not be marketed with any reference to meat, dairy or eggs.

The department says in a statement that in terms of Regulations 1283 of the classification, packing and marking of processed meat products, the use of meat product terms with plant-based products, such as mushroom biltong, plant-based meatballs, salami and nuggets – were all prohibited.

The ten new animal vaccines that have been registered for the South African market are also covered in this edition. Ryan says this is a welcomed development for the primary livestock industry.

The DALRRD confirmed that the registrar of the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Seeds and Remedies Act, had approved vaccines against bovine brucellosis and other forms of brucellosis, foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and feline immunodeficiency virus, amongst other animal diseases.

Dewald Olivier, the spokesperson for Red Meat and Livestock Primary Cluster, said that he is particularly excited about the registration of new brucellosis vaccines as this disease caused serious harm to the industry.

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Furthermore, stakeholders in the agriculture sector want swift action to be taken against the people responsible for more than R280 million that was squandered on the Vrede Dairy project in the Free State. Ryan adds that the Gupta-linked company, Estina, was reportedly paid this amount to set up a dairy farm near Vrede, with the aim of uplifting residents by creating 150 jobs and benefitting black farmers in particular.

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