Livestock Farming in South Africa
Livestock farming in South Africa is a large part of the country's agricultural sector and includes the production of cattle, dairy, pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, and ostrich. The country has a well-developed poultry and egg industry as well as value-added activities such as humane slaughtering, processing and preserving of meat.
SouthAfrica.co.za provides about livestock farming and production available to all South Africans, published in the 11 official SA languages. Whether farmers invest in commercial-scale or local production, our well-researched content written by agricultural experts will provide insight into the world of SA's livestock farming sector.
Alpaca farming in South Africa started in the 21st century, when in 2000, from the high-altitude regions in the Andes Mountains of Chile, the first 60 alpacas made their way to the country....
moreBeef production in South Africa has a rich heritage, with cattle being used in the past and even today for different reasons in various cultures throughout the country....
moreThe most important thing new beekeepers in South Africa will need when starting beekeeping is knowledge....
moreThe dairy cow industry in South Africa is one of the largest agricultural industries in the country, employing more than 40 000 people....
moreThe main focus of duck farming in South Africa is for meat production. Duck meat is mostly sold directly to high-end restaurants, in some supermarkets, delis and at farmer’s markets....
moreBesides being a nuisance, flies are potential carriers of disease and may have a negative impact on animal health, especially in intensive production systems where animals are kept close together....
moreGoat Farming in South Africa is the livelihood for subsistence farmers in rural areas, stud breeders, mohair producers, dairy farms and commercial meat farmers. With this range of goat-related topics...
moreSouth Africa was the first country in the world where ostrich farming started on a commercial basis, in the mid-1820s feathers were harvested from live ostriches....
moreThis series provides only a very general overview of pastures in South Africa and more in-depth research by the reader into farm and livestock-specific pastures are advised....
moreThe commercial pig industry in South Africa is relatively small with a few modern piggeries with modern facilities, high feeding costs and excellent genetic material. South Africa also has thousands of subsistence and small-scale farmers producing pork...
moreSouthAfrica.co.za’s section on poultry farming in South Africa - written by industry experts - aims to help new farmers improve their farming methods by supplying information in all 11 South African languages....
moreLivestock farmers suffer losses in the region of R2 billion each year due to predators, such as black-backed jackal, caracal, leopard, cheetah, brown hyena and even crows and stray...
moreRabbit farming in South Africa involves the breeding of rabbits for the meat industry as well as for the use of fur and wool....
moreSheep farming is done all over South Africa, but is traditionally concentrated in the more arid regions of the country. Although the income derived from sheep farming is modest compared to other livestock produced...
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