South Africa’s primary agricultural employment increased three percent year-on-year (about 27,000 jobs added) to 865,000 jobs, although this was marginally down quarter-on-quarter (-2 percent). This recovery was underpinned by strong...

It was impossible to foresee the effect of Covid-19 on the global economy and commodity prices earlier this year. This human virus has been even more disruptive than African Swine...

10 pig producers’ organisations in Western France are considering to stop castrating piglets as from December 31, 2021. The organisations represent a respectable part of the country’s producers. The producers'...

The European Commission recently released its Short-term Outlook for EU Agricultural Markets in 2020 report, indicating African swine fever (ASF) and uncertainties related to COVID-19 continue to pose a threat...

Flexibility is paramount now. How will pork production change in the coming years? If you are waiting for the return of normal, it’s time to snap out of it and...

Monitoring in farrowing To determine if a farm is PRRSV-stable, it must be confirmed that no viremic piglets are being born. Transplacental transmission of PRRSV is highly efficient, particularly at...

More piglets per sow yields more income. This has been the trend for years and the simplest way to achieve it is to wean the piglets sooner rather than later....

Consuming creep feed can help piglets to successfully bridge the gap from milk to solid feed at weaning. Due to many factors, weaning often leads to a low feed (energy)...

Despite four consecutive quarters of contraction (1Q19-4Q19) and ongoing challenges due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa's agriculture sector rebounded by 27.8% quarter-on-quarter, seasonally adjusted and annualised, in 1Q20....

South Africa will likely harvest 37% more maize in 2020 compared with the previous season after favourable weather conditions boosted yields, a Reuters survey of six analysts and traders showed...

Circumstances at a cutting floor can help SARS-CoV-2 spread over distances over 8 metres. That has become clear in a case study about the first wave of Covid-19 outbreaks in...

SEGES Pig Production is involved in the work on the development of a new filter, which will reduce the risk of infection of airborne diseases in stables. Outbreaks of infectious...

By 2050, the world population is expected to reach a booming 9.8 billion according to UN Population Division and with this comes the fundamental issue of feeding our ever-growing population....

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the global pork supply chain won’t be over anytime soon. Rabobank analysts revised down pork production for 2020 in major producing countries in its most...

Already facing a multidimensional agricultural crisis, South Africa urgently needs to direct more funding for agricultural research that serves the public good, rather than just assisting to boost agribusiness profits....

Africa will be unable to meet demand for meat and milk by 2050 and benefit from growth in the livestock sector unless countries adopt new policies and innovations, according to...

The United States are benefiting from the phase one trade deal with China in terms of pork exports, despite an ongoing political dispute between the two nations. Data from China...

South Africa’s agricultural industry is projected to continue outperforming other sectors and aid the recovery of an economy battling the effects of the coronavirus scourge. The defiant mood of the...

The National Disaster Management Centre has declared that the ongoing drought in South Africa is no longer considered a national disaster. This declaration was published in the Government Gazette on...

Pigs per sow per year is certainly one of the most important economic factors to look for on a farm, as well as one of its main components, pig weaned...

The Southern African Agri Initiative is preparing to approach the courts in in a bid to get the ban on wine sales in restaurants lifted. SAAI is an agricultural interest...

Changes in the livestock business environment have motivated the National Emergent Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (NERPO) to review its strategy and improve services to its members. NERPO managing director Aggrey...

A news item on H1N1 influenza with ‘pandemic potential’ hit the news a few weeks ago. It became big news all over the world. Some readers in the pig industry...

With the first ban on liquor sales, due to Covid-19 regulations, there was already an accumulation of supply of raw materials, some of which could not be stored for extended...

Pig producers in Germany will face a serious task in adjusting their sow houses. Last week, the Federal Council of Germany’s parliament accepted a bill to phase out sow stalls...

When people realized they were going to be sheltering at home this spring, they started to change. And some of those changes will likely stick around, experts say. “You saw...

New gene editing developments could be moving the global pork industry closer to the end of pig castration. Especially in the European Union, this leads to an interesting discussion as...

A human antibody can provide pigs protection against the 2009 H1N1 pandemic strain of human influenza, according to new research at The Pirbright Institute in collaboration with Inovio Pharmaceuticals. “This finding indicates...

A new type of swine flu found in Chinese pigs has sparked concern among scientists that it may have the potential to cause a new pandemic – but for South...

Pigs identify the human voice as part of a human being present. The animals responded differently to human presence when no voice was broadcasted. That was the result of a...

Not only Asian and European countries are fighting African Swine Fever (ASF). Fears are that in Nigeria, almost a million pigs have died from ASF, following an unprecedented outbreak that...

A new flu virus found in Chinese pigs has become more infectious to humans and needs to be watched closely in case it becomes a potential "pandemic virus", a study...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again reiterated government’s belief in the potential of agriculture to contribute to job creation in South Africa and the imperative to upscale support for emerging and small-scale.   Speaking at the ANC and its...

Grain SA has taken a very courageous decision to not continue with the Nampo Harvest Day event in 2020, according to Dr Kobus Laubscher, an independent agricultural economist in Bloemfontein....

The Covid-19 pandemic has reached Africa at a time when the continent is already grappling with multiple crises. Undeniably, Africa's recovery from this pandemic will be a formidable task that...

The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on agricultural employment in South Africa A key question that consistently arises amid the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on the economy is its effect on...

The coronavirus has impacted agriculture and food production around the world. It is also exposing South Africa to an accelerated food-security threat,which requires action now from multiple players, from government...

In a time where slaughterhouses and their staff are under scrutiny due to Covid-19, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released a scientific opinion on pig welfare during the slaughter...

Buti Malinga, a small-scale pig farmer near Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng, has built up his business, Vukani Piggery, from nothing. Intent on progress, he aims to become a fully fledged commercial...