SA’s livestock industry has faced many challenges over the past few years. One of these has been the rise in feed prices since 2020, especially for maize and soybeans. This coincided with increased financial strain on consumers due to the damaging effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Demand for red meat products thus declined as consumers opted for cheaper forms of protein.  

The spread of foot-and-mouth disease to six of the nine provinces for the first time yet was another challenge for the industry. This resulted in temporary bans being imposed by certain export markets, extending to auctions and livestock movement, mainly cattle, for part of 2022.  ..

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