South Africa’s livestock industry has significant potential to expand through exports, but success will depend on strengthening animal health systems, improving market access and building robust traceability systems, delegates heard at a recent Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) forum.
According to Dr Tracy Davids, executive director of BFAP, weak consumer spending has constrained growth in domestic meat consumption, making export markets increasingly important for the sector.
“Over the past decade, South Africans have experienced very limited real income growth, which has reduced purchasing power. For an industry like meat, which is one of the more expensive components of the food basket, this has a direct impact on consumption,” she said.
Davids noted that while demand for more affordable proteins such as poultry and pork is expected to continue growing, higher-value meats face slower domestic demand. At the same time, production has outpaced local consumption across several livestock sectors, highlighting the importance of international trade.
“The growth we’ve seen in recent years has largely come from replacing imports and expanding exports,” she explained.
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Animal diseases hamper growth
Davids said South Africa’s beef industry has made notable progress by shifting from a net importer to a net exporter and focusing on premium markets in the Middle East.
“Our strategy is not to compete with high-volume exporters such as Brazil. It is about producing a high-quality product for niche markets that unlock greater value for producers,” she said.
However, recurring animal disease outbreaks, particularly foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), remain one of the biggest obstacles to export growth.
Davids said the increasing frequency and severity of animal disease outbreaks remained one of the biggest constraints to expanding South Africa’s livestock exports, making improved animal health a critical priority for the sector.
She said BFAP modelling indicated that strengthening traceability, compartmentalisation, quality assurance and animal health systems could increase producer prices by between R2/kg and R4/kg carcass weight by 2035, generating billions of rand in additional revenue for the beef industry.
Africa needs market development, not just productivity
Davids added that achieving export growth would require improved market access through better trade agreements, effective traceability and quality assurance systems, as well as investment in efficient ports, transport networks and other critical infrastructure.
Managing director of BFAP, Dr Ferdi Meyer, said the organisation’s work across Africa has shown that livestock development requires more than improving productivity.
“Africa does not only have a productivity problem; it has a market problem. You cannot simply push more product into the market. You need to create demand that pulls production through the value chain,” he said.
Drawing on research in Malawi and Kenya, Meyer said policy decisions must be based on reliable data and a detailed understanding of each country’s unique production systems, consumer preferences and affordability constraints.
“Every market is different. We need to understand those differences before deciding where the opportunities really lie,” he said.
Traceability essential for exports
Meanwhile, Dr Phillip Oosthuizen, chief operating officer of Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), said an effective national traceability system is essential for both disease control and export growth.
“If South Africa had a proper traceability system, the current foot-and-mouth disease crisis would have been much easier to contain,” he said.
RMIS has developed a traceability system centred on globally recognised location numbers and digital animal movement records, with more than 11 500 farmers already participating.
“The value of traceability extends beyond managing disease. It creates opportunities to unlock value, improve market access and strengthen confidence throughout the value chain,” he said.
Speakers agreed that unlocking the livestock industry’s export potential will require continued collaboration between industry and government to improve biosecurity, strengthen market access and build the infrastructure needed to compete internationally.
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