Smallholder farmers play a pertinent role Smallholder farmers play a

DAFF
October 2012
Official newsletter of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Also in this issue:
2
DEPARTMENTAL
Agri Mega Week in
Bredasdorp
4
DEPARTMENTAL
Information Day for
Marambane pupils
5
DEPARTMENTAL
Min. attends to
farmers’problems
6
Smallholder
farmers play
a pertinent
role
SECTOR
A guide to milking
hygiene on a dairy
farm
8
DEPARTMENTAL
AgriBEE—a catalyst
to agricultural investments
10
SECTOR
Seven endangered
wonders of the world
11
SECTOR
Pretoria’s agricultural
show here to stay
12
SECTOR
World Food Day commemoration
Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson was the guest speaker at the National Smallholder
Congress, organised by the AgriMega Group in Bredasdorp. Here she is with Mr
Mike Mlenga, President of AFASA (African Farmers’ Association of South Africa)
on the left and Mr Orton King, Group Executive Director, AgriMega Group on the
right. Article on p2 and 3.
Departmental
Smallholder farmers
play pertinent role
By Mercia Smith
South Africa is currently facing a situation where, while being food secure,
millions of households among us
starve each day because of a lack of
access to food. Statistics reveal that
20 % percent of South African households have inadequate or severely
inadequate access to food. This translates into 2,8 million households—or
11 million people regarded as food
insecure. A further 14.4 million South
Africans are vulnerable to food insecurity. In spite of strong government,
corporate and civil society commitment
to address development issues, there
are signs of increasing food insecurity
in rural and urban areas. Of course
these signs are not isolated but are
related to rising unemployment, food
price increases, HIV and AIDS, adverse
environmental conditions, a demise
in agricultural support and poverty in
general.
Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, attended the National Smallholder Congress,
which was organised by the AgriMega
Group in Bredasdorp. The theme of the
Congress was, Unity in Smallholder Farming in SA—The Road Ahead.
“This smallholder farmers’ congress
gives impetus to the growing importance of
smallholder farmers alongside commercial
farmers in assisting government to ensure
that there is enough food for every citizen
of South Africa, whether rich or poor, in
an urban or rural dwelling or employed or
unemployed,” she said. South Africa has
the privilege of a commercial farming sector that has worked tirelessly to feed both
our country and the African continent. We
also enjoy global standards for the quality of our foods, with the export market
appreciating the goods that we produce. However, even with this good news there
is a different kind of reality. South Africa
has not been spared the harsh reality of
rising food prices, which are compounding food insecurity in households across
the country.
Smallholder farmers have a pertinent
role to play if we are to eradicate the
triple challenges as outlined by President
Zuma. Unemployment, poverty alleviation
and inequality remain some of the biggest
stumbling blocks towards the real liberation of South Africa. Indeed, we still have
a long way to go to break this vicious cycle
but our efforts are not in vain.
to p 3
At Agri Mega Week in Bredasdorp,
Wendel Carstens and Rinus von
Waltzleben from Laerskool Bredasdorp
is getting information on careers in
agriculture from Ms Gizelle van Wyk,
left and Ms Magrieta de Lange, right,
both from Western Cape Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development.
DAFFnews is the newsletter of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries. Private Bag X250, PRETORIA 0001.
It is published by the Directorate Communication Services, Private Bag
X144, PRETORIA 0001.
Opinions expressed in DAFFnews are not necessarily those of the
editorial team. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system without prior
permission from the editor.
DAFFnews is printed on triple green paper.
2
October 2012 DAFFnews No. 10
Editor
Reporters Subeditors
Distribution
Piwe Mbiko
Thuli Dube
Samuel Kgatla
Innocent Mhlanga Rony Moremi
Jamela Nkanyane
Percy Sepaela
Mercia Smith
Lerato Mofokeng
Willie de Jager Pam Sutherland
Website: www.daff.gov.za
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[email protected]
Departmental
Agri Mega Week in
Bredasdorp
from p 2
“After seeing the intervention that Walmart/Massmart made in Limpopo earlier
this year, I was impressed with the way that
a corporate company had opted to assist
20 farmers, with the goal of increasing this
to 50 farmers through infrastructure and
transport, but most importantly, market
access,” Ms Joemat-Pettersson said. The
direct farm model removes the middle
man, resulting in shops buying their fresh
produce directly from the farmer at an
agreed-upon fee.
Smallholder farmers require support in
order to reach the status of commercial
farmers, so they too can assist us in feeding
the millions of people in need of food. The
ultimate goal is to see smallholder farmers
graduate to becoming fully fledged commercial farmers. The ideal is a situation
where smallholder farmers are trained
and prepared for export readiness through
rigorous training on packaging and quality
control by those already in business. Many
commercial farmers already mentor and
train smallholder farmers in various techniques on farming and this is a positive
development and must be encouraged.
However, Ms Joemat-Pettersson called
on more farmers to also impart their skills
to grow this market and to further professionalise it.
“This year’s theme, Unity in Smallholder
farming in SA—The Road Ahead, chal-
lenges us to look at where we are so we
can plan adequately for the future. We
need to be united even if we represent
different constituencies. We need to speak
with a united voice so that our concerns
and grievances will reach the relevant people with a single message. We must keep
the lines of communication open, leave
room for disagreements, and there will be
disagreements because we are all partners
in one cause. But we must be careful that
we negotiate with each other in good
faith. We must be mindful that there are
factors who would rather see us not being
united rather than united. We will all have
to tread this road carefully so as to always
stay mindful that our biggest responsibility
is towards the citizens of our country. Our
biggest goal is to ensure that the poor are
not left wanting and hungry when we can
use surplus from our harvest instead of
destroying it. I ask that our farm workers
can also enjoy the fruit of their labour and
that prices can stay within reach of every
single South African. If we don’t do this we
will have failed our duty,” she stated.
“Agriculture has generally done well
considering the many unforeseeable challenges that have hit South Africa and the
global farming community. In South Africa,
Stats SA revealed that agriculture had increased its contribution to the GDP up to
5,8 per cent in the second quarter of 2012.
Altogether 5 000 jobs were created in the
2010/11 financial year as a result of the
support interventions of Comprehensive
Agricultural Support Programme (CASP),
including programmes on state land
managed by the department. The last two
quarters of 2011 and first quarter of 2012
saw an increase of 57 000 employment
opportunities in the sector. This was a major turning point for us because agriculture
has been shedding jobs since the 1970s.
We are turning the tide in agriculture.
CASP supports subsistence, smallholder
and commercial producers and additionally provides effective agricultural support
and streamlined services to targeted
beneficiaries of land reform as well as
black producers who have acquired land
through private means.
“The financial sector has also thrown
in its weight behind agriculture. The Land
Bank and the African Development Bank
have entered into a R1 billion funding
agreement to help emerging and commercial farmers acquire finance. This is a
very bold move that signals confidence in
the agriculture sector.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot rest on
our laurels while one in five children under
the age of nine suffers from stunted growth
as a result of malnutrition in South Africa.
The question we should be asking ourselves
is; Where we are going wrong?”
No. 10 DAFFnews October 2012
3
Departmental
Information Day for
Marambane pupils
By Percy Sepaela
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) in conjunction
with the Ehlanzeni District Municipality and the municipal health services
recently held the Pesticides Safety
Awareness campaign at the Marambane primary school in the Thaba
Tshweu local municipality in Mashishing, outside Lydenburg.
The campaign is part of the department’s drive to increase the level of awareness among people after the Mashishing
community experienced sporadic incidents
of children becoming ill because of a lack
of knowledge of pesticides. “The purpose
is to teach these children about the safe
use of pesticides. There have been situations in which children got ill as a result of
lack of knowledge on pesticides,” said Cllr
Tiny Mabuza. She warned parents to label
empty bottles used for carrying pesticides
so that children in households can easily
identify them.
The campaign forms part of the department’s plan to introduce more sustainable
interventions that will create awareness
among the previously disadvantaged
communities. It also entrenches the commitment to a safe environment and management of pesticides and the intention
to eradicate the unlawful street vending
of pesticides.
DAFF is mandated by law to ensure the
proper usage of pesticides according to
the AIC Inspection Services Act 1047, Act
No. 36 of 1947.
According to a departmental report seen
by DAFFnews, the objectives of the 2012
Pesticides Safety Awareness campaign
are to:
• Raise awareness of the risks associated with the use of unregistered
pesticides and the incorrect use of
pesticides
• Strengthen and harmonise awareness
activities among all spheres of government; and
• Impact positively in improving the
health and lives of our communities.
Jimmy Mnisi, Acting Mayor of the
4
October 2012 DAFFnews No. 10
Ehlanzeni district, said the municipality
has adopted a programme to encourage
people in the local areas to live healthily.
“This campaign comes at a time when
the country is celebrating the life of our
icon, Nelson Mandela. We must ensure
our people live healthily as we honour this
struggle icon,” he said. Talking to pupils
and teachers alike, Mnisi implored them to
be the “Mandelas of tomorrow. I’m urging
you teachers to help us in this important
task of grooming tomorrow’s leaders”.
He implored the community to celebrate
South Africa’s chairmanship of the African
Union (AU) Commission.
The Marambane primary school is celebrating 70 years of existence and it has
committed itself to achieving an 80% pass
rate in every grade.
Reuben Mpangane, Circuit Manager
at the Lydenburg Education department,
told pupils about Mandela’s legacy and
urged everyone to nurture children as an
honour for Mandela. He also requested
the department of health’s officials to “visit
rural schools in advancing the school’s
health programmes”.
According to a departmental report,
the Pesticides Safety Awareness campaign
has been successfully implemented in the
Mpumalanga Province, reaching some
1 300 learners. It further states that the
campaign “must continue and reach other
local municipalities within the district in
recognising the significance of the messages brought to communities.”
The purpose is to teach these children about the safe use of pesticides. There
have been situations in which children got ill as a result of lack of knowledge on
pesticides.
Departmental
Min. attends to farmers’
problems
By Samson Mtumana
It was such a great honour to Ms
Jamela Mogodi, (73) and Mr Samuel
Phasha (37), Tzaneen famers in Limpopo, when the Minister of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson, visited their farms.
Jamela’s farm is situated in a village
called Bordeaux while Samuel’s farm is
situated in Ofcolaco, a distance from
Jamela’s farm, which gives an advantage
to both farmers with regard to the local
market. These farmers produce fresh
tomatoes, butternuts, green beans, dry
beans, sweet potatoes, green peppers
and spinach.
Ms Mogodi was very excited about the
Minister’s presence on her farm and she
even told the Minister that she could not
believe she came. “I am not the Minister of
the office, I visit people who need my help
all the time because my job is not mainly
in the office,” said the Minister.
Ms Jamela employs 11 permanent workers and about a further 10 workers during
harvest time; meanwhile Mr Phasha has
39 employees of which 11 are permanent
and others are casual workers. Their target
market is locally and nationally. Though it
is difficult to sell to the Johannesburg fresh
produce market because it is so expensive
that she does not even make a profit, it is
also quite difficult to sell to local people
because they prefer to buy from another
farm, called ZZ2, where they think they get
products cheaper but they fail to consider
transport costs. “They buy at ZZ2 because
we don’t produce products they want
throughout the year and the standard of
our products is not that good compared to
where they buy,” said Mr Phasha.
Their problems range from irrigation,
secure fencing and infrastructure. “Fencing
is my biggest problem because whenever
my plants try to grow, the rabbits, monkeys
and other wild animals get onto my farm
and start eating my crops,” Ms Jamela
said. “I’m very happy that the Minister
is here because I will be able to raise my
problems to her and I must say that I never
believed that the Minister would come here
to see our problems,” she added. “The
shortage of water is one of my biggest
problems because the water that I use
to irrigate my plants, which comes from
underground, usually gets finished after
August every year,” Samuel explained.
The farmers use boreholes and water
tanks, which they ensured are in place on
their own to accumulate the water they
use for watering. This can only be done
by dedicated and ambitious emerging
commercial farmers like Ms Mogodi and
Mr Phasha.
A representative of Massmart’s Ezemvelo
Direct Farm Programme was also present
during the Minister’s visit. Massmart as
the head of the project, focuses on de-
veloping and sustaining small farmers.
Massmart promised to create a market for
the two famers where their crops will be
sold directly to Massmart from the farms.
Massmart will enable the famers with a
more a consistent income.
Mr Sekoati Pitso, Entrepreneurship
Development Programme manager TechnoServe, said they are there to help the
farmers with farming advice. Mr Sekoati
has already started to provide the famers with technical support such as crop
management , which involves the use of
chemicals and manure and guiding them
on when and how to plant.
Ms Jamela Mogodi on the left
with Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson,
Minister for Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries. Ms Mogodi was
very excited about the Minister’s
presence on her farm that she
even told the Minister that she
could not believe she came.
Workers on ms Jamela
Mogodi’s farm where tomatoes,
butternuts, green beans, dry
beans, sweet potatoes, green
peppers and spinach are
produced.
No. 10 DAFFnews October 2012
5
Sector
A guide to milking hygiene
on a dairy farm
By Lelanie Metaxas
Glen Agricultural Institute
Milking hygiene is a very important
part of a dairy herd management
plan. The product that you produce
on a dairy farm, namely milk, is classified as a foodstuff. This means it has
nutritional value and is consumed by
people as part of their daily diet. It
is also used in various value-adding
processes, like making cheese and
yoghurt.
The health of the end consumer depends
on the quality of the milk that the dairy
farmer delivers. The milk processors have
introduced measures to ensure compliance from their producers. They give a
cash incentive for good-quality milk and
penalise producers who deliver poorquality milk. Quality, therefore, plays a big
role in determining what price you will get
for your product.
Various indicators that are used to
determine the quality of milk
• The mixture of ingredients of
the milk.
This is principally determined by the cow,
and is of major importance to the dairy
company that buys the milk on the basis
of the quantity of the various components
in the milk.
The main components of importance
are:
• The butterfat percentage in the milk
• The protein percentage in the milk
• The quantity of solids in the milk
• The quantity of lactose in the milk
• Hygienic quality
This is determined by the producer and
is an indication of the practices used on
the farm. The durability, appearance, taste
and safety of the milk depend on this.
Monetary value is attached to the microbial quality of the milk. The somatic cell
count (SCC) gives an indication of this. In
South Africa the SCC of the milk is very
important and a premium price is paid
for a low somatic cell count. The SCC of
a healthy cow is usually below 100 000
cells per mℓ and consists mainly of udder
tissue cells and a few white blood cells.
An increased SCC is usually because of
a higher number of white blood cells per
mℓ, which are also known as puss cells.
This is considered as undesirable by the
consumer and therefore the dairy buyers
will also not purchase milk with excessive
SCC counts and will penalise producers
at certain levels.
• Clean milk
Clean milk can be described as milk
originating from healthy cows, with a good
taste, free of any dirt, and with a relatively
low number of bacteria. The bacteria that
are present may not be of any type that is
harmful to humans or to a calf’s health.
• Antibiotics and residue
This milk should also be free of antibiotics or residue of any foreign substance.
What you as producer can do to
ensure high-quality milk
Most important is the way the milk is
handled from production (milking the cow)
up to when the milk is either sold to the
public or collected by milk tankers.
To deliver high-quality milk, it is necessary for the producer to remember that
milk is a perishable nutritional product that
can serve as a carrier for disease-causing
organisms.
Important factors are:
The dairy
• The dairy must be clean and as far
as possible, dust free. Bacteria that
come from dust and hay, are usually
also of the type that can cope with
high temperatures.
• Flies, cockroaches and rodents must
be controlled.
• Access to the dairy must be strictly
controlled.
• The milking equipment must be
washed properly after each milking
and thoroughly rinsed with clean
water before use.
• The dairy must have a certificate of
acceptability from the Local Authority, if the farmer is going to sell milk
to the public.
• The water used in the dairy must be
suitable for human consumption.
6
October 2012 DAFFnews No. 10
Sector
Milking hygiene
on a dairy farm
• The dairy must have a milking parlour,
a change room with washing facilities
for staff, a scullery for proper cleaning
of all equipment, a milk room with
the bulk milk storage tanks and any
processing equipment, and a separate
toilet with no direct connection to the
milking parlour itself.
The milkers
• The staff milking the cows must be
healthy and must wear clean, protective overalls.
• They must wash their hands with soap
and water before they start milking and must ensure that they have
clean hands throughout the milking
process.
Milking routine _ VERY IMPORTANT
• Testing for mastitis is imperative and
the milk from cows with mastitis
should be disposed of and not fed to
the bull calves.
• Always wash very dirty teats before
milking and dip them with a teat dip. If
teats are not dirty, only dip with teat dip
and always dry teats with disposable
paper towels before milking.
• The claw piece should only be removed after the vacuum has been
turned off.
• Teat dip should always be applied after
milking. This protects the vulnerable,
open teat channel from environmental
contamination.
• If milking is being done by hand, the
milker’s hands must be dry or he must
use a lubricant like Vaseline or commercially available milking salve. With
machine milking, the cluster must be
flushed with clean water before use on
the next cow.
• Sick cows, cows with mastitis, cows
with colostrum still present in their milk
(within 7 days from calving) or cows at
the end of their lactation cycle (drying
off), should be milked last and their
milk should be kept separate. The
same is applicable for cows
treated with antibiotics; at least
72 hours should
pass after the
last treatment
with the antibiotic before a
cow’s milk can
be mixed with the normal milk.
• The filter in the milking machine must
be replaced before starting every
milking cycle. Filtration of the milk
does not improve the durability of
the milk, but does remove any visible
dirt. The filtration material may only
be used once.
• The milking machine and how the
machine is operated have a large influence on milk hygiene. The manner
in which the machine is maintained
and operated can determine whether
the milk quality is good or not, both
by its influence on the udder health
and directly on the milk itself. Routine
is here also of the utmost importance,
as this ensures that no mistakes are
made by forgetting certain steps. The
machine must be washed after every
milking, following the instructions of
the manufacturer of the detergent
used, as well as the manufacturer of
the milking machine. Regular service
intervals as recommended by the
manufacturer of the milking machine
must be adhered to.
• The milk must be cooled as soon as
possible after milking to less than
5ºC and must then be stored at that
temperature. Both cooling and storage
usually takes place in a bulk storage
tank.
Testing the milk
To establish the quality of milk it is necessary to determine the chemical, physical
and bacteriological characteristics of the
milk. By testing the milk regularly it is also
possible to determine if the practices on the
farm are successful in ensuring high-quality
milk. It will also enable the farmer to make
changes when necessary.
For this purpose, a sample that is representative of a large quantity of the milk
is necessary. As the sample is also used
to determine the bacteriological qualities
of the milk, a sterile collection container
must be used. The farmer can test the milk
of each individual cow separately, or test
a sample from the bulk cooling tanks.
Testing the milk from individual cows can
greatly assist the farmer in his management practices, as he will be aware if a
specific cow is experiencing problems.
The following steps must be taken to
ensure that the sample is representative.
• Sampling of the individual cow’s
milk
The cow must be milked dry thoroughly
and all the milk must be collected in one
container. Thereafter, the milk is mixed
thoroughly before a sample is taken. Usually a sample of approximately 30 mℓ is
sufficient. The milk recording scheme has
representatives who can assist the farmers
with the sampling process, and participation in the scheme gives the farmer access
to specialised interpretation of the test
results.
• Sampling of one container with milk
(bulk cooling tank)
In the case of a bulk cooling tank, the
mechanical stirrer must be activated for at
least five minutes before the sample is taken. The sample must be taken immediately
after sufficient stirring has taken place.
No. 10 DAFFnews October 2012
7
Departmental
AgriBEE—a catalyst to agricultural investments
By Percy Sepaela
Government’s commitment to increase assistance to smallholder and
subsistence farmers
The mooted relaunch of the AgriBEE
Fund to provide financial assistance to
smallholder and subsistence farmers
must act as a catalyst to agricultural
investments for black emerging farmers, said Acting Director-General of
the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mike Ntombela,
while delivering his keynote address
during a relaunch workshop held at
Birchwood Hotel, in Ekurhuleni.
The fund has previously been marred
by controversy with allegations of misuse
of funds and black emerging farmers ultimately not getting the necessary assistance
to stay afloat. Ntombela called for a strict
selection policy for those applying to access the funds through AgriBEE to avoid
manipulation of the system. “We must
vigilantly and rigorously look at the criteria of qualification to prevent applicants
from double-dipping, getting assistance
through CASP and others while accessing
AgriBEE funds,” he warned.
The relaunch of the AgriBEE Fund will
bear testimony to government’s commitment of increasing the required assistance
to smallholder and subsistence farmers to
succeed.
Speaking at the workshop, Mohamad
Sizwe, General Manager in the Retail and
Emerging Markets Division at the Land
Bank decried the previous manipulation of
the fund, which resulted in minimal or no
assistance at all for the smallholder and
subsistence farmers. “This fund was severely abused since its launch in 2007 and
the money intended to assist black farmers
was misused, resulting in the collapse of
many of those projects,” Sizwe said.
The Land Bank has been tasked with
rolling out the fund and a joint evaluation
committee with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) will be
established. It will evaluate and monitor
progress. The fund’s budget stands at
R150 million. “Not only does the Land
8
October 2012 DAFFnews No. 10
Bank allocate money but it is also our duty
to monitor the cash flow and business sustainability,” said Sizwe. He added that they
have resolved to update all stakeholders in
every quarter about the status quo.
Furthermore, the Land Bank will push
for a model of equity in all sectors, which
will translate into real, meaningful ownership for smallholder and subsistence
farmers. “This model will punt for ownership, real ownership which is meaningful
in that equity scheme, and also increase
the participation of black farmers in the
entire value chain. Black participation is
compromised,” Sizwe said. He deplored
the coercion of black farmers into partners “because they are commercially
distressed”.
Addressing the workshop, Ms Bafedile
Bopape, Chief Director: Cooperatives and
Rural Enterprise Development at DAFF, said
the department was inviting stakeholders
to take part in the roll-out of the fund to
ensure the “mainstreaming of smallholder
funds into the mainstream economy”. She
added that the department was looking for
development partners, both locally and
internationally, to help facilitate long-term
investment opportunities, resulting in food
security and better livelihoods.
Bopape mentioned that the department
was in the process of establishing a model
that will consolidate all developmental
funds of the department into a one-stop
shop model for subsistence and smallholder farmers. These are current funding
models such as the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) and
the Micro-agricultural Financial Institutions
of South Africa (Mafisa).
Dr Amon Myeni, Director: Cooperatives
and Enterprise Development, who delivered a presentation titled: “Fund purpose,
product, processes and role players,” told
the audience that many of the projects
previously funded by AgriBEE were in
distress and that “a survey was underway
to come up with accurate data of how
many they are”. Explaining the criteria for
applying for funds during his presentation,
Myeni mentioned that farmers needed to
raise 10% as own contribution. In addition, smallholder farmers or land reform
beneficiaries are able to purchase a stake
in an on-running project.
Delegates also listened to presentations
by the Department of Trade and Industry
(dti), the National Empowerment Fund
(NEF) and AgriBEE Charter Council.
If the deliberations and commitments
made during the workshop are to be
believed, the country will witness a revolutionised agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector which will greatly contribute to
poverty eradication, food security, employment opportunities and local economic
development. The sector’s contribution
to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will
also improve significantly.
Sector
Strengthening biosecurity
and biosafety measures
By Rony Moremi
The growing scientific advancement in
Africa calls for further enhancement of
both biosecurity and biosafety measures. It calls for greater protection
and the responsible use of biological
agents as well as ensuring the safety
of laboratory workers. These were
some of the issues discussed at the 3rd
annual African Biological Safety Association (AfBSA) Conference held at the
Sandton Convention Centre recently.
“It is for this reason that scientists need
to be aware of their power and the possible harm that could come to society if the
power gets into the wrong hands, namely
of those who wish to utilise it for heinous
purposes,” said Mooketsa Ramasodi,
Director of Agricultural Inspection Services
delivering a keynote address .
A need for awareness about biosafety
and biosecurity measures is highly important, given the growth in genetically modified organisms, new diseases, veterinary
infections and the spread of drug resistant
diseases and the emergence of new diseases. Taking into consideration that most
countries in Africa are still developing,
makes it more difficult as there is an insufficient budget for laboratories with most
countries allocating 11% of their budget
for research and with little of this amount
going towards laboratory funding.
Over 100 international and renowned
biosafety professionals in Africa, researchers, policy makers and corporate
scientific leaders presented high-level
scientific papers, ranging from Biological
Weapons Convention (BWC) overview to
implementing standards for countries and
institutions. Presentations captured the
current situation in laboratories as well as
the awareness of laboratory workers on
biosafety and the use of Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE). Lem Ea from Cameroon
expressed concern over the attitude and
practices of some laboratory workers
towards the use of PPE and awareness of
biosafety measures in the lab. Delegates
were also given guidance on how to communicate with policy makers to encourage development and implementation of
biosafety guidelines and the use of social
media in promoting awareness.
The outgoing president of AfBSA, Willy
Tonui said the past achievements of the
conference are that some of the delegates
who attended have implement Occupational Health Safety and good practice,
and have been able to engage government in their respective countries, amd
raise support for laboratory workers with
some policies developed to protect labo-
ratory workers. The conference has also
grown in capacity and leadership. He also
said that Afbsa offered training to people
in 2010. Willy said after the training the
17 countries established biosafety associations of which the South Africa Biosafety
Association (SABA) is a product. One of
the delegates who attended the conference
was Edith Bougoma from Burkina Faso
who gave a highly informative presentation
on Improvement of biosafety and biosecurity in a research laboratory.
One of the laboratory workers, Penda
Suso, who works at the National Public
Health Laboratory in Gambia, said she will
be able to help in establishing biosafety
measures back in her country as there is
insufficient knowledge of risk management
in laboratories. Penda also plans to form
a committee and establish a biosafety association in her country.
In her closing remarks, the incoming
president of AfBSA, Abiola Olajumoke
Tubi, emphasised that action after the
conference was more important as well
as developing capacity in research and
implementing what they learned at the
conference. She encouraged delegates to
launch regional associations to improve
biosafety institutions and communicate
biosafety with policy makers.
No. 10 DAFFnews October 2012
9
Sector
Seven endangered
wonders of the world
A new initiative was recently announced by the Alliance for Zero
Extinction (AZE) at the World Conservation Congress in Jeju, South Korea.
AZE’s 7 wonders campaign asks voters
to help select seven sites from around
the globe to highlight the plight of
species on the brink of extinction.
The winning sites will be featured in
a campaign to help conserve endangered species.
AZE has posted a list of 20 candidate
sites from which voters can select their
choice of seven. The 20 shortlisted sites
were chosen from among 587 sites around
the world identified by scientists working
with AZE; sites that are the last refuges
for one or more endangered species. The
20 sites represent a variety of taxonomic
groups, including birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, as well as diverse
geographies. Voting will be open through
November and can be carried out at the
campaign website: www.AZE7Wonders.
org.
“The world rallies to preserve the heritage of priceless historical places like the
Great Pyramid of Giza or the Colosseum,
and we should also protect the places on
Earth that harbour the most endangered
species,” said Mike Parr, AZE Chair and
Vice President of American Bird Conservancy. The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT)
has been a member of the Alliance for
Zero Extinction for two years, and uses the
AZE list of threatened sites and species to
prioritize its work. Said Yolan Friedmann,
CEO of the EWT: “As one of South Africa’s
leading biodiversity conservation organisations, the EWT is striving to facilitate
the protection and sustainable use of key
ecosystems. The EWT has a cohesive and
integrated approach to the conservation of
species, habitats and ecosystem processes
and we therefore focus much of our work
on protecting both threatened species and
habitats. Successful conservation therefore
means protecting the habitats that support
species—and human beings—and in this
way entire ecosystems and communities
10
October 2012 DAFFnews No. 10
and socio-economic structures reap the
benefits. Therefore we are in full support
of this campaign and urge all people
to participate in making it a success.”
The campaign was launched at the World
Conservation Congress, which was hosted
by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and where some
8 000 people have gathered to address
global conservation issues. The IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species was used by AZE
to help identify the 920 endangered and
critically endangered species restricted to
587 single sites worldwide.
The following 20 sites (in random order) and their endangered species were
selected for voting in the AZE’s 7 Wonders
campaign:
• Gough Island, UK – Tristan albatross
• Isla Robinson Crusoe, Chile – Juan
Fernandez firecrown
• Abra Patricia, Peru – long-whiskered
owlet
• Raso da Catarina, Brazil – Lear’s
macaw
• Hellshire Hills, Jamaica – Jamaican
ground iguana
• Anhui Chinese Alligator Nature Re-
serve, China – Chinese alligator
• Roti Island, Indonesia – Roti Island
snake-necked turtle
• Baly Bay National Park, Madagascar
– Angonoka tortoise
• Yadua Taba Island, Fiji – Fiji crested
iguana
• Río Saija, Colombia – Golden poison
frog
• Bale Mountains, Ethiopia – Malcom’s
Ethiopian toad
• Morningside and Handapan Ella
Plains, Sri Lanka – shrub frog
• Manas National Park, India – pygmy
hog
• Menabe – Andranomena, Madagascar – Madame Berthe’s mouse
lemur
• Helan Shan Nature Reserve, China –
Helan Shan pika
• Rodrigues Mainland, Mauritius – Rodrigues flying fox
• Massif de la Hotte, Haiti – La Hotte
glanded frog
• Lower Tana River, Kenya – Tana River
Mangabey (monkey)
• Chatham Islands, New Zealand –
shore plover
• Poyang Hu, China – Siberian Crane
The critically endangered pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is the world’s smallest
species of swine.
Sector
Pretoria’s agricultural
show here to stay
Pretoria’s agricultural show, The Spring
Show, which was held at the Tshwane
Events Centre from 1 to 6 September
2012, was received with enthusiasm by
the agricultural fraternity and will in
future become a fixed feature on the
city’s annual calendar.
Robert Walker, Director of The Spring
Show, says the show was successful in
achieving its objective of establishing a
baseline for the show’s new agricultural
focus. “The agricultural industry in the
northern areas of the country has obviously
been waiting for a major agricultural show
and we are very grateful for the support
of our official partner, Afgri, who believed
in the merits of an agricultural show in
Pretoria from the outset. I would also like
to thank all the other sponsors, including
The Gauteng Department of Agriculture,
Obaro, Land Bank, ABSA AgriBusiness,
Vleissentraal and Taltec, as well as the
various industry associations and societies, our media partners, exhibitors and
visitors.
“We placed a lot of focus on the various
breeds at this year’s show, and breed societies like the poultry, Dorpers and Boer
goats were particularly satisfied with the
facilities and exposure the event afforded
them. We have received a lot of feedback,
which we will use to expand the show to
ensure an even bigger and better event
next year,” says Walker.
The Spring Show presented a large
exhibition with 170 exhibitors, a jampacked agricultural programme, which
included three national championships,
lots of regional shows, carcass competitions, auctions and a number of product
launches and workshops.
The Spring Show 2013 will be held during the first week of September 2013.
QA system to be internationally recognised
SAPPO’s quality assurance system,
Pork 360, is in the process of being
internationally certified by ISC South
Africa. With this international certification the QA scheme will be upgraded
to meet the world’s leading management system standards, said Simon
Streicher, CEO of SAPPO, at the AGM.
The manual and audit system has been
updated in accordance with ISO 9001,
ISO 14000, ISO 18000, ISO 2200 and
GLOBALGAP specifications. The Pork
360 system will be certified by the end
of September 2012 and all auditors will
be certified internally to conduct audits in
accordance with the relevant regulations,
Streicher said.
Streicher further referred to imports
and said that 20 984 tons of pork were
imported during January to July 2012. In
2011, 32 094 tons were imported and 26
255 tons during 2010.
Imports in 2011 and 2012 respectively:
Ribs - 62,1% 55.1%, ham and shoulders 6,5% 8,0%, other cuts - 31,4% 36,9%.
So far, the main exporters in 2012 were
Germany (34,7%), Canada (29,0%), Spain
(16.4%) and France (6,0%). It is estimated
that a total of 35 000 tons of pork will be
exported to South Africa in 2012.
Armand Smith from Pretoria visited The
Spring Show and used the opportunity
to get to know horses closer.
Clover
recognised
Clover has been recognised for
its ongoing efforts to improve
living conditions and standards
in South Africa by being voted
into the top ten brands in the
Community Upliftment category
of the annual Sunday Times Top
Brands Survey.
“We are delighted to be ranked
in the top ten brands in South Africa
in terms of community upliftment as
this is a core element of what we do
and how we think as a company.
Our Clover Way Better products
are closely associated with mothers
and families and our Mama Afrika
programme is specifically aimed at
uplifting women, children and families around the country,” said Prof.
Elain Vlok, Manager: Corporate
Services at Clover.
No. 10 DAFFnews October 2012
11
Sector
World Food Day
Commemoration
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) in partnership with the Gauteng Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development
(GDARD), the City of Tshwane and Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
will be commemorating World Food
Day on 16 October 2012 in Bronkhorstspruit Sokhulumi village.
This year World Food Day will be celebrated under the theme “Agricultural
Cooperatives—key to feeding the world”.
The aim of the day is to heighten public
awareness of the world food crisis and
strengthen solidarity among critical role
players in the collective fight against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. The Minister
of DAFF, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson and
other dignitaries will visit local cooperatives supported by government and the
private sector. There will be practical
demonstrations showcasing the Mechani-
sation scheme and procured tractors will
be handed over to identified agricultural
cooperatives in Gauteng. Selected households will be
assisted with
establishing
vegetable
gardens and
the CSIR and
ARC will assist
in showcasing
indigenous
food.
Best contributors in
the food production sector especially
cooperatives
will be given
recognition
medals to intensify the participation and
contribution towards food security and
sovereignty.
Launch of book on red meat’s role
in nutrition and health
To put the facts straight about the
importance of red meat in the diet
so that consumers will not turn their
backs on this important protein source
a new book has just been published:
Red Meat in Nutrition and Health - Communicating current science about red meat as
part of a healthy South African diet by Prof.
Hettie Schönfeldt and Nicolette Hall.
Health benefits of food have moved
consumers towards the concept of food
as medicine. As the incidence of chronic
diseases continues to increase, consumer interest in the positive role which
food can play in controlling these afflictions, are growing. A double burden of
nutrition-related diseases is prevalent
in many households and communities
in South Africa, as both over and undernutrition are experienced owing to
12
October 2012 DAFFnews No. 10
rapid urbanisation and acculturation. Many South Africans suffer from the health
implications of inappropriate diets, with
obesity being the most important nutritional disease, causing many of the major
non-communicable diseases. Promoting
healthy lifestyles to reduce the global
burden of non-communicable disease
requires a wide multisector approach,
involving various sectors in societies. The
availability of current and correct, scientifically based, nutritional information which
the public can relate to, plays a major
role in promoting healthy lifestyle choices.
Meat plays an integral role in global eating
and the nutritional attributes of meat make
a significant contribution to an individual’s
requirements for protein, vitamins and
minerals. Various studies also reflect the
substantial changes over time in the composition of red meat, especially reduction in
the quantity of fat both on the carcass itself
and after trimming in the shop or at home.
Choosing wiser condiments with lean meat
can contribute to healthier food patters, of
which most important if seen against our
obesogenic environment, is portion size. The book deals with the nutrient composition of South African lamb and mutton
based on recent research. Topics covered
include: Red meat and cancer, reviewed
by Dr Carl Albrecht; The nutritional status
of the SA population reviewed by Dr Nelia
Steyn; The role of red meat in weight management reviewed by Prof Tim Noakes;
Red meat and hypertension reviewed by
Dr Catherine Champagne of DASH diet
fame.