Sien onderstaande PODCAST

Die Suid-Afrikaanse melkbedryf is kerngesond. Só sê Nico Fouché, hoof uitvoerende beampte van Melk SA. Hy het in ‘n onderhoud met OFM-nuus - oor hoe dit tans in die bedryf gaan, gesê dat die gemiddelde roumelk-produksie in die land die afgelope 12 jaar met sowat 2,26% jaar-op-jaar gestyg het. Fouché deel verder dat die produksie van roumelk in 2020 sywaars beweeg het en dat melkproduksie egter gedurende die eerste 6 maande van 2021 'n afname getoon het. Hy sê die daling in melkproduksie gedurende die eerste 6 maande van die jaar is kommerwekkend.

High fire danger index warnings for this week are being sent out, warning farmers and land owners of the potential risk of veld fires in the Free State province. Operational manager of the Free State Umbrella Fire Protection Association, Jan de Villiers, tells OFM News that the probability of veld fires are higher than usual for the rest of the week, between Tuesday 3 August and Sunday 8 August. He says that the high fuel load in the province may lead to runaway veldfires and that all necessary precautions should be taken to prevent or contain any veld fires. De Viliers says that work with machinery that could cause a spark should be minimised as much as possible and that fire extinguishing equipment should be kept on site as possible contingency methods. He adds that farmers, land owners and people should be cognisant of anything they do that could start a fire and that any necessary resource should be on standby to contain possible fires.

Die landbou-unie TLU SA het met ‘n veldtog begin waarin hy die departement van Water en Sanitasie én die regering vra om die land se waterbronne te herstel of privaatinstellings aan te stel om dit te doen. Die SAUK berig TLU SA sê in ‘n verklaring volgens die 2019 Water- en Sanitasie Meesterplan, was 56-persent van die 1 150 munisipale rioolaanlegte en 44-persent van die 962 watersuiweringsaanlegte in ‘n swak of benarde toestand. Elf persent was heeltemal buite werking. Die voorsitter van die landbou-unie se Omgewingsbewaringskomitee, Steven Vermaak, sê die redes hiervoor is die verval van watersuiweringsaanlegte as gevolg van munisipale korrupsie, wanbestuur en onkundige personeel. Hy sê die swak gehalte van water hou nie net ‘n risiko in vir die beskikbaarheid van drinkwater nie, maar ook vir die volhoubaarheid van landbou. Vermaak sê met dié veldtog wil die TLU SA die swak gehalte van water regoor die land onder die regering se aandag bring.

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OFM News speaks to Bloem Veeprodukte about the impact the recent looting and veld fires have had on their sustainability of providing products. Manager of Bloem Veeprodukte, Yvette Marais, tells OFM News that the unrest caused an immense amount of delays in stock availability and the supply of all animal vaccines to farmers in Central SA. She says that some of the factories that supply animal products and vaccines were completely destroyed as a result of the looting and unrest which has an impact on their stock availability. Marais adds that regardless of the delays in stock availability, they were still able to supply many animals who suffer after the Free State veld fires with medicine.

OFM-nuus/Lee Simmons