The drought – the worst in 20 years – will see the supply of red meat dropping as prices rise to accommodate higher production costs, according to the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO).
CEO of the RPO, Gerhard Schutte, said in a statement that hundreds of thousands of livestock – sheep and cattle – had died due to lack of water and food. “Provision of water is now at a critical level because dams, marshes, springs, fountains, rivers and boreholes are drying up,” he said.
According to Schutte, new boreholes are being drilled at a high cost and with limited success. “In some cases water has to be trucked in from as far as 15 kilometres away.”
He pointed out that farmers had been forced to cull their herds due to high costs being incurred for feed and water supply. “The price of maize has already increased by more than 40%.”
Schutte added that these conditions meant that it would take up to three or four seasons for commercial producers to recover economically. “Lamb and calving percentages will be lower because female animals are in poor condition,” he said.
In the long term, supply will also therefore be under pressure
