Chicken more expensive and difficult to manage with no power
11 May 2023 - 16:06
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Gauteng residents may be forced to fork out more money for basic food items such as chicken due to the electricity crisis.
The poultry industry in Gauteng is facing severe challenges because of the rolling blackouts. This has been made worse by a higher generally increased cost of living.
During a recent discussion with the Poultry Farmers Association it was discovered that during stage 5 load-shedding slaughterhouse programmes are interrupted.
Chickens are usually slaughtered aged six weeks as they are the right size for fast food restaurants and retailers. Slaughtering should take place 24 hours a day, five days a week. But because of the blackouts at stages 5 and 6 there is a backlog in the slaughtering process.
This means the chickens are older, larger and consume more feed. The price of chicken has also risen, leading to fewer consumers buying the product, which leads to farmers having larger chickens roaming around, eating more.
To make matters worse, the provincial government seems unmoved by the disastrous effect the blackouts have had among those responsible for food security in the province.
It should provide incentives for rooftop solar installations and allow excess electricity to be fed back into the grid.
Bronwynn Engelbrecht, MPL DA Gauteng shadow agriculture & rural development MEC
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Blackouts a disaster for poultry industry
Chicken more expensive and difficult to manage with no power
Gauteng residents may be forced to fork out more money for basic food items such as chicken due to the electricity crisis.
The poultry industry in Gauteng is facing severe challenges because of the rolling blackouts. This has been made worse by a higher generally increased cost of living.
During a recent discussion with the Poultry Farmers Association it was discovered that during stage 5 load-shedding slaughterhouse programmes are interrupted.
Chickens are usually slaughtered aged six weeks as they are the right size for fast food restaurants and retailers. Slaughtering should take place 24 hours a day, five days a week. But because of the blackouts at stages 5 and 6 there is a backlog in the slaughtering process.
This means the chickens are older, larger and consume more feed. The price of chicken has also risen, leading to fewer consumers buying the product, which leads to farmers having larger chickens roaming around, eating more.
To make matters worse, the provincial government seems unmoved by the disastrous effect the blackouts have had among those responsible for food security in the province.
It should provide incentives for rooftop solar installations and allow excess electricity to be fed back into the grid.
Bronwynn Engelbrecht, MPL
DA Gauteng shadow agriculture & rural development MEC
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
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