Farmers, bankers, conservationists (part 1)
I was part of a press contingent ushered to various projects in KwaZulu-Natal last week – 12th and 13th November. Our hosts were a combined team from Nedbank and World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF SA)
When decisions are placed in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-06-22 In Blog John Hume, “The Man Who Bred 1000 Rhino”. Photo used courtesy of Quintus Strauss Practical solutions for the rhino crisis In the past 26 years, South African John Hume, aged 76, has bred 1,279 white rhinos on his private property, and is currently protecting 1,626 rhinos of which […]
June 5: a new marker
June 5 2016 is the first International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU).
Juicy maggots
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-06-05 In Blog There are places in the world where people eat insects, yes … But why not feed insects to the usual livestock – fish, chickens and so on? AgriProtein, a South African company, and others in the USA, France and Canada are going into the farming of flies full […]
Strong growth trajectory for robust macadamia industry
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-05-25 In Blog Valley Macadamia Chairman, Alan Sutton, attended the macadamia round table session at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Conference in Spain. Sutton gave feedback on the INC’s annual report and discussed a number of pertinent facts and figures, as well as new marketing and advertising campaigns proposed for […]
Nampo – making its acquaintance
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-05-16 In Blog Today the Nampo show grounds outside Bothaville will be buzzing with activity as the hundreds of exhibitors prepare for the largest agricultural show in the southern hemisphere this week. Nampo Park from the air, looking towards the northern gate. From Tuesday to Friday the open field to the […]
Diesel Refund Reforms Promise Welcome Relief to SA Farmers
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-04-24 In Blog Press release South Africa – The promised reforms to the current Diesel Tax Refund system promise welcome relief to struggling SA farmers. Whilst nothing has been confirmed by Treasury as yet, the diesel tax refund system and its administration are set for an overhaul which will see a reduction […]
Young black farmers
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-04-16 In Blog In an article which appeared in The Conversation last week, Mnqobu Ngubane looked at the obstacles facing a young black farmer. He interviewed aspiring farmer Lonwabo Jwili, who bought a piece of land near Johannesburg. Jwili speaks of the three challenges for young farmers. These are access to information, finance and markets. Information: […]
Food safety and traceability
Introduction Food is a dynamic substance which changes with time and through exposure to different temperatures, storage conditions and processing methods. Food safety is a scientific discipline describing the production, harvesting, handling, processing, preparation and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of procedures and practices that should be followed […]
Perhaps they’ll listen now
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-03-27 In Blog The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) released a statement in 2015: “Pigs scream in ‘ínhumane’ gas pits before slaughter“. Sounds dramatic. What was the commotion about? It is usual practice in abattoirs to stun an animal before slaughter. This renders the beast unconscious before it is dispatched. (Of course inefficiency here […]