
=====================================================================
Launch of Abaross at East London
=====================================================================

Speeches and Media Releases
 Agriculture

[         w

 OPENING ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE MEC FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS MR. MAX MAMASE AT THE LAUNCH OF ABAROSS AT EAST LONDON ON THE 09TH 
FEBRUARY 1999

Chairperson,
Board of Directors of ABAKOR,
 Distinguished guests,
 Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me thank you for inviting my ministry to open this joint venture initiative. It has always been my call for the formation of joint 
ventures in order to broaden the scope of participation in the economy.

All citizens in the country have the right to food security, and more importantly, safe food. This includes safe meat, which has been 
derived from a known and approved source and has been judged fit for human consumption by designated veterinarians, meat inspectors or meat 
examiners.

Our problem in this Province is that we only have about 2.2 million cattle and 7,1 million sheep to supply for a domestic market of about 
10 million people, according to statistics.

It is therefore obvious that the Province has to import meat from elsewhere in the country or from overseas where producers may be heavily 
subsidised.

These low import tariffs are not conducive to the growth and entry of new participants in our own livestock and meat industries. A local 
broiler producer will battle to produce a 6-week-old bird for less than R7.50. This chicken still has to be slaughtered and marketed.

Most of the A-grade beef in South Africa is produced by feedlots and the meat can only be afforded by the relatively privileged few and 
cheaper cuts (the so-called "factory meat ") have to be imported. The dramatic depreciation of the rand during the last few months will 
probably lead to less imported meat at a higher cost.

Chairperson, In our province we have a blend of a well established commercial livestock farming sector and an embattled and in most cases 
an impoverished subsistence livestock farming community, broadly divided between the Western and Eastern Regions of the Province. These two 
diverse sectors of the same industry have not been amiss in addressing this discrepancy.

We are the first province in the country where the various farmers unions representing the various sectors, have united to form the 
Eastern Province Agricultural Union (EPAU). The Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO) is accommodating and uplifting livestock farmers in 
communal and disadvantaged areas hence we have the Emergent Red Meat Producers Organisation of the Eastern cape Province (ECERPO).

During their second annual congress in July in Queenstown, they already had 63 fully paid up delegates, a figure, which is still growing.

ABATTOIRS

There is however a major discrepancy in the availability of approved abattoirs as a source of safe meat. Whereas there are 70 approved red 
meat and 37 poultry abattoirs in the Western, Central and Northern regions, there is only one approved Red Meat abattoir in the Eastern 
Region viz. the parastatal abattoir in Umtata and none in East Griqualand. In the latter region, most meat suppliers source their meat from 
outside the Province, mostly from kwaZulu Natal.

There are no approved poultry abattoirs in either of these regions and we know chicken meat is a major source of protein for consumers in 
these areas.

Chairperson, another disturbing factor is the 17 small Municipal and privately owned red meat slaughter facilities which do not comply with 
the Abattoir Hygiene Act, but are used by local butchers. Meat inspection services at these facilities are non-existent or erratic.

We need to upgrade these facilities to serve as both a source of safe meat for local consumers and a marketing channel for emergent red 
meat.

I strongly believe that this should be addressed as a matter of urgency. Community livestock projects, especially those involving chickens 
and pigs, should include the establishment of new abattoirs.

Food animal producers have the habit of raising their produce at great financial, climatic and disease risks and then sell it to a 
middleman, who reap the financial benefits!

Livestock farmers should explore avenues to add value to their produce and to become more involved with direct marketing, which should lead 
to higher yields to the producer and more affordable meat prices for the consumer.

An untapped and potentially huge market at the moment, is the export market. There are 2 European Union approved ostrich export abattoirs 
and cutting plants at Graaff- Reinet and Grahamstown and another EU approved ostrich export cutting plant at Uitenhage. The plant at Graaff-
Reinet is also approved to process and export venison to the EU.

Emergent red meat farmers must diversify their farming activies and game farming gives high yields: live game fetches high prices at 
auctions and venison is highly sought after by modern health conscious consumers both on the local, but especially on overseas markets. 
Emergent red meat producers should be afforded an opportunity to gain access to these lucrative markets.

Veterinary Public Health, at both national and provincial level has a major role to play in the commercial and especially the emergent meat 
production sectors to improve livestock production and reproduction and to contribute as a an efficient supplier of safe meat at affordable 
prices to consumers through approved abattoirs.

Livestock and meat production in the Eastern Cape Province should be a leading force in the revitalisation of agriculture in this province.

I hope that ABAROSS will be a shining example of a successful joint venture.

It is an honour for me to declare ABAROSS officially open.

I Thank You !!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Home | About the Eastern Cape | Economy
 Structures | International Relations | Documents
 Premier's Office | Speeches & Media Releases
 Top of Page

---------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Eastern Cape

Premier's Office

Structures

Documents

Speeches & Media Releases

International Relations

Economy




