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Agri podcast: Free State Agriculture calls for submissions on Expropriation Bill

───   13:38 Fri, 26 Feb 2021

Agri podcast: Free State Agriculture calls for submissions on Expropriation Bill | News Article

Free State Agriculture (FSA) has called on all South Africans to make their submissions on Parliament’s Expropriation Bill by this Sunday.

This is the end of the written submission process on a policy that, if promulgated as is, will have long lasting effects on all South Africans into the future according to Free State Agriculture. The agri-organization rejects bringing into legislation any principle whereby nil compensation can be paid for someone’s property. Francois Wilken, President Free State Agriculture, believes that secure property rights are the basis for attracting investment and enabling reinvestment into ones’ own property to develop it, build it up, and protect it for future generations.

The government's Crop Estimates Committee says that maize farmers may possibly harvest 4% more of the staple crop in the upcoming 2020/21 season, as compared to the last season. The committee estimates that 8.799 million tonnes of white maize will be harvested, which is used for human consumption, while 7.050 million tonnes of yellow maize is expected to be harvested and used mainly for animal feed. A total of 15.85 million tonnes of maize were secured as compared to last season’s 15.300 million tonnes.

AND

The national Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, jointly reported an outbreak of African Swine Fever in the Western Cape.  Editor-in-Chief for the Department, Reggie Ngcobo, says two small-holding farms in Mfuleni, North of Khayelitsha, were found to have positive cases of African Swine Fever, after laboratory testing of samples from dead pigs. Approximately 5% of pigs had died on each of the two properties - the disease has the potential to kill all pigs on a farm. A ban has been placed on the sale and movement of live pigs from Mfuleni, to limit the spread of the disease, says Ngcobo. Head of Consumer Assurance at the South African Pork Producers' Organisation (SAPPO), Dr Peter Evans, says African Swine Fever does not affect humans and the consumption of pork is safe; however, any meat and products from affected pigs can be a source of infection to other pigs. The origin of the outbreak is still unknown but clues may be provided by the study of the specific virus detected and by information provided by affected farmers. Farmers are requested to be vigilant and to immediately report any sudden illnesses and deaths of their pigs to the local State Veterinary Office, so that swift action can be initiated to prevent the spread of this disease.




OFM News/Lee Simmons and Blaine Jones

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