The court has permitted the company to load up to 56 000 sheep from its feedlot near Berlin in the province onto the Al Messilah livestock vessel. This vessel is currently docked in the East London harbour. Doug Stern, president of Agri Eastern Cape, says the court order is a wonderful relief for the organisation. OFM News' Christal-Lize Muller spoke to him...

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Stern says they are now "sick and tired" with the NSPCA, which is blamed for being inconsistent with stories they distribute about how bad farmers and the whole process of the export of live animals are. He is of the opinion that the NSPCA has not done their research properly. "We are now really going to challenge them," says Stern. 

He is of the opinion that the NSPCA must rather focus on something that they are really good at, which includes looking after domestic animals. They should rather be more involved in court cases where people are on trial for slaughtering animals in an inhumane way during stock theft cases. The animals, and in this case sheep that are sold and shipped offshore are not treated poorly. Stern says the mortality rate on these livestock carrier ships are far less than any farmer can cope with in feedlots. "We are doing everything according to the regulations as laid down by the international animal health care centers." 

Conditions on livestock carriers 

Stern says there is an Australian veterinarian who has been travelling on these vessels for a period of about 23 years. Agri Eastern Cape has spoken to him and is of the strong belief that the veterinarian will certainly not be involved in anything which is inhumane.

The mortality rates of 0.14% on these carriers must be a true indication of how well these animals are looked after on these ships.

Economic value of exports

He says in the Eastern Cape about 50% of all animals are owned by emerging farmers, but these farmers are only contributing about 8% of their livestock into the formal markets. Organised agriculture is in the process of working with these farmers in an effort to increase the genetic potential of their animals. Once this process is in place and functioning well in the next five to ten years there will be an oversupply of red meat in the Eastern Cape and that is why there is a need to look for more external markets. 

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