Livestock Farming in South Africa

© Roger de la Harpe

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.

South Africa Online ® 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

Alpaca farming in South Africa started in the 21st century, when in 2000, from the high-altitude regions in the Andes Mountains of Chile, th...more

Beef Production in South Africa

Beef production in South Africa has a rich heritage, with cattle being used in the past and even today for different reasons in various cul...more

Beekeeping in South Africa

The most important thing new beekeepers in South Africa will need when starting beekeeping is knowledge....more

Dairy Farming in South Africa

The dairy cow industry in South Africa is one of the largest agricultural industries in the country, employing more than 40 000 people....more

Duck Farming in South Africa

The main focus of duck farming in South Africa is for meat production. Duck meat is mostly sold directly to high-end restaurants, in some su...more

Fly Management

Besides being a nuisance, flies are potential carriers of disease and may have a negative impact on animal health, especially in intensive p...more

Goat Farming in South Africa

Goat Farming in South Africa is the livelihood for subsistence farmers in rural areas, stud breeders, mohair producers, dairy farms and comm...more

Ostrich Farming Industry of South Africa

South Africa was the first country in the world where ostrich farming started on a commercial basis, in the mid-1820s feathers were harveste...more

Pastures in South Africa

This series provides only a very general overview of pastures in South Africa and more in-depth research by the reader into farm and livesto...more

Pig Farming in South Africa

SouthAfrica.co.za offers a guide to pig farming in South Africa. The commercial pig industry in South Africa is relatively small with a few ...more

Poultry Farming in South Africa

SouthAfrica.co.za’s section on poultry farming in South Africa - written by industry experts - aims to help new farmers improve their far...more

Predation Management in Livestock Farming

Livestock farmers suffer losses in the region of R2 billion each year due to predators, such as black-backed jackal, caracal, leopard, cheet...more

Rabbit Farming in South Africa

Rabbit farming in South Africa involves the breeding of rabbits for the meat industry as well as for the use of fur and wool....more

Sheep Farming in South Africa

Sheep farming is done all over South Africa, but is traditionally concentrated in the more arid regions of the country. Although the income ...more