SOUTH AFRICA – Since 2017, South Africa’s pork industry has weathered persistent challenges, forcing farmers and industry stakeholders to adapt rather than shut down.
Instead of retreating, many have expanded their operations, betting on economies of scale and advancements in technology to improve profitability.
However, the road has been anything but smooth.
“It’s been tough,” said CP Kriek, owner of Taaibosch Piggery in North West Province, South Africa.
“Profit margins have been extremely low for the past few years, and the industry has been deeply impacted. We’re not out of the woods yet.”
The sector, which approximately comprises 125 commercial pig producers, 190 production units, and approximately 4,000 emerging producers, has seen profitability plummet, with nearly half of its output processed into ready-to-eat products like pork chops and bacon.
The remainder is sold as carcasses in the pork meat market.
The start of the year brought additional challenges.
In January, concerns arose over the increasing threat of African swine fever (ASF) and other notifiable livestock diseases, exacerbating the pressures on South African farmers.
As one of the region’s leading exporters of animal products, South Africa’s farming community is feeling the strain of these ongoing outbreaks.
According to a recent report from The Conversation, the spread of livestock diseases has exposed vulnerabilities in the biosecurity measures on South African farms.
These weaknesses, long flagged by local agribusinesses, are now contributing to the sector’s escalating difficulties.
Alongside ASF, the report also highlighted recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle and highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry.
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