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This week’s edition of Farmer’s Weekly looks at the Land Bank which has denied allegations of impropriety, following claims that it was using strong-armed tactics to liquidate farmers who defaulted on their loan repayment obligations.

Ryan shares that the Land Bank said in a statement that an investigation was undertaken in July this year with regards to claims made in the media about inappropriate conduct. The bank added that the investigation had failed to uncover any evidence to support the allegations that the bank or its legal representatives had acted illegally, unethically or that they have implemented or used inappropriate or illegal practices or actions to liquidate clients.

However, an attorney acting on behalf of a Northern Cape farmer told Farmer’s Weekly, on condition of anonymity, that the farmer claimed to have been affected by the bank’s actions. The attorney further shared that although the bank’s agents had acted within the framework of the law, they had done so cold-bloodedly without any sympathy towards the farmer who was still in the recovery stage following the previous year’s drought in the province.

Another story focuses on a breakthrough ruling by the Southern African Customs Union’s (SACU) arbitration panel on the dispute between the European Union (EU) and SACU member states regarding the importation of frozen bone-in chicken cuts. Ryan explains that this is a landmark victory for the SACU poultry industry.

The EU launched a dispute with SACU in June 2019 by invoking the dispute settlement and avoidance portion of the economic partnership agreement between the EU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It requested consultations with regards to safeguard measures by SACU on frozen bone-in chicken cuts exported from the EU.

Lastly, Farmer’s Weekly takes a look at how global food prices have dropped for the fourth consecutive month in July. This is according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) latest food price index. 

Ryan adds that this decline was the steepest monthly fall in the value of the Food Price Index (FPI) since October 2008. 

This decline means that food prices are falling month-on-month, but they’re still much higher year-on-year.

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