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DA leader John Steenhuisen.
(Delwyn Verasamy/ M&G)

Steenhuisen confirms 274 foot-and-mouth disease cases in five provinces

Officials said South Africa’s phytosanitary and biosecurity requirements are world class and the department is awaiting bilateral trade agreements to be resolved to begin exports…

South Africa needs to bolster its biosecurity to control the spread of disease in livestock and poultry.

Biosecurity is vital for SA’s successful agricultural growth and export strategy

Frequent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, avian influenza and African swine fever suggest weakness in biosecurity controls and the effect of climate change

For South Africa to maintain its current access to red meat, wool and other livestock products, it must continue to strengthen its biosecurity and revive vaccine manufacturing

What excessive rain means for South Africa’s livestock

For South Africa to maintain its current access to red meat, wool and other livestock products, it must continue to strengthen its biosecurity and revive vaccine manufacturing

Crop data reaffirms South African agriculture’s recovery path

This could be good for consumers as prices drop.

By expanding SAWS’s observation network, the partnership seeks to close critical forecasting gaps in regions vulnerable to floods, storms and extreme rainfall

Recent rains boost for summer grains, oil seeds and livestock

While the recent rains caused damage to infrastructure and in communities, it does more good than bad in agriculture

The South African agricultural sector is on solid ground for now and we shouldn’t be worried — but we should be vigilant.

La Niña may bring favourable weather, boosting optimism about food security in Southern Africa

The weather event is predicted to bring above-normal rainfall in January before easing up, but the northeast may remain dry

In Morocco’s drought neighbours battle over water allocation

Severe drought brought a farming village to its knees, but unresolved conflict is its biggest threat

South Africa has had cycles of foot-and-mouth disease in the cattle industry, multiple strains of avian influenza in poultry, and the African swine fever in the pig industry. (Photo by Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images)

Rise in animal diseases a global problem 

South Africa must remain vigilant to prevent outbreaks which are costly to farmers and harm the export market

A protest on the Taliep Petersen Bridge on Nelson Mandela Boulevard in Cape Town on Monday against live animal export and the cattle ship in Cape Town Harbour on 19 February 2024. (Photo: Gallo Images / ER Lombard)

End the practice of shipping livestock by sea

Cows on a ship in Cape Town in a horrible situation lead to more calls for it to end

South Africa is the only African country in China’s top 30 agricultural suppliers, ranked 28 in 2023.

Why I am optimistic about South Africa’s agricultural outlook in 2024

We are in for another good agricultural season, especially if January and February present favourable rainfall

What underpinned SA’s agricultural underperformance in the third quarter?

There are weaknesses in the country’s biosecurity system, including the measures in place to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases

Jeopardy: Farmers around the world, from Kenya Maasai pastoralists to commercial livestock farmers in Australia, will be harmed if global warming continues. Photo: Boniface Muthoni/Getty Images

How extreme heat will harm cattle

Cattle farmers will either have to provide protection for their animals, or shift to more resilient breeds or to other livestock

Members of of the community collect water from trucks –  in the area around Port Edward. (Delwyn Verasamy)

Right the injustice of Africa’s water crisis

African leaders are taking the initiative in developing strategies for coping with it, including its effect on the continent’s water security and sanitation

The price of staple foods could more than double by 2030.

Agricultural input costs remain elevated, squeezing farmers’ profits

Supply constraints in fertiliser-producing countries, coupled with rising shipping, oil and gas costs has pushed up the price of imported commodities such as fertiliser,…

People walk with their belongings in a flooded area after the Nile river overflowed after continuous heavy rain which caused thousands of people to be displaced in Bor, central South Sudan, on August 8, 2020. (Photo by Akuot Chol / AFP)

The dummy’s guide to climate change for southern Africa

Though there is no going back and fixing what we have done, we can certainly all take responsibility for our corner of the world to ensure we have a fighting chance

Climate crisis a threat to Africa’s cattle

Cattle in sub-Saharan Africa account for only a small fraction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the harms are outweighed by the good

Save forests to protect us from future pandemics — Harvard scientists

Risk of next pandemic greater than ever, scientists say, but world can act

Hunters and hunted: Caracal prey on rodents, hares and antelope. However, they are hunted by farmers during the lambing season. (Thomas Dressler)

Predators: Beauties or beasts?

How farmers perceive jackal and caracal — as ‘beautiful’ or ‘thieves’ — determines whether they will tolerate them on their livestock farms

Lithium mines in Zimbabwe’s communal areas deprive people of their land rights, grazing land and water. Photo: Madelene Cronjé

The invention to detect foot-and-mouth disease in one hour

New technology helps manage the disease that spells gloom for economies and livestock

Carbon allowances exist when a government sets a cap on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be emitted by an industry. Photo: Supplied

Carbon dioxide, methane levels surge despite Covid-19 lockdowns

Carbon dioxide levels are now higher than at any time in past 3.6-million years