Latest news with #LaMarque
IOL News
07-08-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Tackling the pressing challenges faced by KwaZulu-Natal farmers
During a consultative forum with MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa, agricultural experts from KwaZulu-Natal convened to address the urgent challenges confronting farmers and propose viable solutions. Image: Thobeka Ngema In welcoming the tabling of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's budget policy statement, agricultural industry experts shared the challenges they are facing and solutions with MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa in a consultative forum held in Durban on Thursday. South African Farmers Development Association chairman Dr Siyabonga Madlala applauded the department for the R30 million support for small-scale farmers. However, he said the sugar industry is facing many challenges. Kwanalu's chief executive officer, Sandy La Marque, said they are dealing with serious challenges. 'I think more than anything else is the economic viability of farmers, whether you're a small farmer, whether you're a large farmer. If you're unable to produce your crop viably, sustainably, profitably, it means that farmers won't exist,' La Marque said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading She said some issues are not only within the department but also across departments. La Marque explained that their relationship with the Department of Transport is important because farmers are unable to transport their produce to the market if there are no roads or bridges. Rural infrastructure is critically important, which does not stop at roads and bridges. She said water is an important source for farmers, and they need to address water challenges. Not just water access, but water quality. She said electricity was also important. The province had many losses because of a lack of electricity supply, for instance. Provincial Livestock Board chairperson Nontobeko Mthethwa said there is a shortage of dip tanks. 'Many affected by the disease do not use the dips daily, which causes conflict with those who use the dips daily and those who do not use them,' Mthethwa said. 'We hope the department intervenes and urges the importance of taking livestock to the dip tanks.' Milk Producers Organisation chairperson, Luke Gibbs, said that training, the land care programme, and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) stood out for the dairy sector in the MEC's budget. 'When it comes to training, I would like to encourage that it goes hand in hand with the land care program. We use commercial dairy farmers to upskill our young people. So that when they leave our commercial dairy farmers, they can go into rehabilitated land and start dairy farming,' Gibbs said. 'I think it's important that if we look at foot-and-mouth, it's been a disaster. And it's even more of a disaster for the dairy industry, because when it comes to animal welfare, dairy cows are at risk of lesions on their udders and then actually suffer if they get foot and mouth. If we can look at proactively protecting the national dairy herd before it gets the virus.' Gibbs added that KZN could look at securing its vaccine and all production thereafter. During a consultative forum, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa discussed challenges and solutions presented by agricultural experts. Image: KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Addressing some issues, kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said the water licence issue has disturbed many farmers. She also said the department was aware of the issue of economic non-viability. 'We need to have a farmers' indaba, where I think I need to invite the national minister, national DG, so that we come and say these are our problems, especially with the FMD and with the issue of the tax that is imposed by the US,' kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said. The MEC said she understood the money given to farmers was insufficient. She has spoken to Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, alerting him to the high demand because of FMD. On the matter of dipping tanks, kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said there are 77 dipping tanks within the FMD area. She said that since becoming MEC, she has built over 45 water tanks. However, they will build more. 'Because they (national) were ordering medication from Botswana, they have stated that we are now going to have one factory within the country, and it will take some time due to the necessary research and processes involved,' kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said about vaccines.. 'Commercial farmers have said that if we can get medication, they are willing to vaccinate so they can protect before it starts.'
IOL News
04-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
KZN livestock farmers urge disaster declaration amid Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak
The KwaZulu-Natal livestock farming community has called on the Government to declare KZN a disaster area due to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) livestock farming community has called on the government to declare KZN a disaster area due to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). Leadership representing pork, dairy, beef, sheep, and game industries in KZN convened this week under the banner of Kwanalu (the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union) to address the outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in the province. In a joint statement, they called on the government to formally declare FMD a disaster as KZN grapples to contain the spread. 'In 2021, affected areas in the province were declared a Disease Management Area (DMA); the latest resurgence in 2023 has spread beyond this area and necessitated the expansion of the DMA; however, the spread continues outside of these areas.' As reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health on April 30, 2025, KZN has experienced 167 outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease, of which 18 of these have been closed, with 149 still active. 'Notably, these numbers continue to increase following the 2023 outbreak originating from the Amajuba District. Despite gazetted containment efforts, continued disease spread is largely due to uncontrolled livestock movements, particularly from communal herds. The economic impact is severe and far-reaching, affecting all sectors of the livestock value chain and threatening the viability of commercial and emerging farming operations alike," the statement said. The delegation is urgently calling on the Minister of Agriculture to support a request to COGTA to have KZNl declared a disaster. This declaration is seen as critical to unlocking funding, resources, and enforcement capacity needed to implement effective control measures before the outbreak spirals into a greater national agricultural and economic crisis. In response, the KZN Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday that the situation is being managed by the government and there is no need for a disaster area to be called. The situation is dire. Sandy La Marque, CEO of Kwanalu, said that the reality is that small- to mid-sized agricultural businesses face closure. 'The situation has eroded confidence in veterinary protocols and exposed systemic enforcement, administrative, management, and other gaps,' La Marque said. La Marque added that the broader picture is that a larger population of rural and commercial livestock farmers rely on local and international markets to survive. 'If we don't get FMD under control, it will result in businesses closing, increased unemployment, and poverty for the many families that rely on this industry. While the outbreak is currently predominantly concentrated in KZN, livestock industry leaders warn the rest of the country is at risk and that the immediate economic threat should not be taken lightly.' Angus Williamson, Kwanalu vice president and Red Meat Producers Organisation chairman, said that it's affecting the economics of doing business as farms are quarantined. 'Without effective control strategies, it will become a nationwide issue.' Williamson asaid they, as organised agriculture, are doing their best to get everything done, from supporting the permit office to appealing for SA Police Service and Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) support and other relevant resources; however, we need more government support. Fanie Ferreira, the CEO of the Milk Producers Organisation, said, "We need a disaster declaration in order to open up the necessary funding and resources to implement a plan to combat the spread fast; in addition, producers must be allowed to implement a precautionary vaccination plan without penalty." Government response Vusi Zuma, Communications Director at KZN Department of Agriculture, said different spheres of government are doing their best to manage the situation. 'We have had meetings with the KZN Department of Agriculture and the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, and the situation is being managed. We believe that FMD is being spread by buffaloes. However, it must be noted that not all areas in KZN have been affected by FMD. We have increased the Disaster Management Area and we have increased vaccination. At this stage, the government has the situation under control and there is no need to declare a disaster area,' Zuma said. Zuma said the movement of cattle is not banned. 'What we said is that cattle need to be tested and need to have a permit confirming a negative test for FMD to be moved. If they are positive, they would need to be quarantined. We are stepping up roadblocks with the Department of Transport to ensure that cattle being moved have been tested for FMD. We will charge those moving cattle without negative test results. We urge the private sector to work with us and explore all solutions for FMD and not call for a state of disaster as this is not necessary at this stage.' Dipepeneneng Serage, Deputy Director-General: Agricultural Production, Biosecurity and Natural Resources Management at the Department of Agriculture, said while they understand the seriousness of the FMD situation in KZN and in Gauteng, they don't think declaring a state of emergency is the solution. 'We have declared/gazetted the DMA which is in itself a state of emergency for livestock and farmers. We need farmers to work with the government to adhere to biosecurity regulations. Additionally, to the DMA, we will be issuing directives regarding the movement of animals in SA.' BUSINESS REPORT Visit:
