DAFFOfficial newsletter of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

March 2014

Fishing quota appeal process extended

Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with Ms Christine Trimmel and Bishop Geoff from Kalk Bay Holy Trinity Church. Fishers have been granted further time at sea as the Ministry has extended the time to appeal against the fishing rights allocation process by two months.

Article on p2

March 2014 DAFFnews No. 3 2

Departmental

Editor Piwe Mbiko (012) 319 6936 piwem@daff.gov.zaReporters Thuli Dube (012) 319 7929 nokuthulad@daff.gov.za Samuel Kgatla (012) 319 7181 samuelk@daff.gov.za Innocent Mhlanga (012) 319 7827 innocentm@daff.gov.za Rony Moremi (012) 319 6622 rincertm@daff.gov.za Mercia Smith (012) 319 6666 mercias@daff.gov.za Jamela Nkanyane (012) 319 6903 jamelan@daff.gov.zaInterns Hellen Phushela (012) 319 7819 mmamotsisip@daff.gov.za Dineo Makgato (012) 319 6958 dineomak@daff.gov.zaSubeditors Lerato Mofokeng (012) 319 7927 leratomof@daff.gov.za Willie de Jager (012) 319 6636 williedj@daff.gov.zaDistribution Pam Sutherland (012) 319 7104 pamsu@daff.gov.za Website: www.daff.gov.za

DAFFnews is the newsletter of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry

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Because fishing provides employment to thousands of South Africans in coastal communities, the government, through the Department of Agricul-ture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), has a vital role to play. Fishers have been granted further time at sea as the Ministry has extended the time to appeal against the fishing rights al-location process by two months. Min-ister Tina Joemat-Pettersson, made the announcement at a gathering for the media briefing on Sunday, 23 February.

This comes after she embarked on the listening campaign at coastal communi-ties in the Western Cape where fishers are granted a platform to voice their concerns. Many are unhappy about not receiving a quota, including various other issues such as the size of fishing quotas and taking in new entrants in the fishing industry.

However, the Minister acknowledged these complaints. “There do seem to be legitimate concerns either relating to poor administration of the applica-tions, or questionable judgements by the delegated officials,” she told reporters in Kalk Bay, Cape Town.

Fishers were awarded fishing quotas prior to the 31 December deadline last year.

About 3 490 applications for rights were received from the various fishing sectors. However, only 593 were success-ful. “In the traditional linefish sector, there

were 1 566 applications, while only 215 could be approved,” she added.

For some permit holders like Maria Helena, whose vessels operate in Hout Bay Harbour, the sooner the appeal process is over, the better for the crew employed on these vessels. Helena, a commercial fisher, owns two boats but has only been awarded one right for one boat.

“I have appointed the law firm Harris, Nupen, Molebatsi Attorneys to advise me on the appeal process. They will under-take an urgent independent audit of the rights allocation process.” Minister Joe-mat-Pettersson appointed the mentioned team of lawyers to ensure fairness and transparency in the appeal process.

Helena is also one of many fishers who have appealed against the allocation of fishing rights. However, the Minister assured fishers that “If there are problems identi-fied, these will be assessed and appropriate steps will be taken to ensure that they are addressed”.

The lawyers will commence work immediately. The Minister high-lighted that the appeal process

will be reinforced and strengthened. The appeal period is extended by a fur-

ther two months to the end of April 2014 “in order to accommodate the appeals of all those who wish to do so,” she said.

This extension will also apply to the interim relief provided to those people who previously held fishing rights.

Pending the outcome of the audit by the team of appointed lawyers, the Ministry of Fisheries is adamant that should the process be found to be in order, there would be no loss. However, this would be a huge gain in confidence in the integrity of the rights allocations.

As the listening campaign is set to con-tinue, the Minister advised fishers at the press briefing that they should not “send out anyone to speak on their behalf”, as-suring them that she wants to hear their voices in these meetings.

Fishing quota appeal process extended

By Jamela Nkanyane

No. 3 DAFFnews March 2014 3

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The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Tina Joemat-Pet-tersson, really hopes that the Agri-sector Unity Forum (ASUF) will join her in promoting and supporting the participation of women at every level of the organisation. The Minister re-vealed this during the well-attended ASUF policy conference on Thursday, 27 February 2014 at the Protea Hotel, Techno Park, in Stellenbosch. The two -day policy conference was themed, “Policy Certainty in Agriculture”.

ASUF is an inclusive, voluntary associa-tion of representative agricultural associa-tions. ASUF was established to primarily develop consensus policy positions on strategic issues in agriculture, as well as to advocate consensus positions on national government, regional institutions and the international community.

ASUF consists of founding members such as the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA), Agri SA, Agricul-tural Business Chamber (Agbiz), South African Agricultural Processors’ Association (SAAPA), National African Farmers’ Union of South Africa (NAFU SA) and Transvaal Agricultural Union of South Africa (TAU

By Samuel Kgatla

Minister believes ASUF will promote women in the sector

SA). The main object ives of ASUF are to de-velop consensus policy positions on strategic is-sues in agricul-ture; promote the image and key role of ag-riculture in the economy and in nation build-ing; and build capacity in evi-dence-based decision making and planning. ASUF seeks to conduct its work in an innovative, balanced and profession-ally excellent manner.

The Minister continued, stating that those who attend their annual female entrepreneur awards will know that this is no cosmetic exercise or window-dressing that she is proposing.

“Women farmers are doing amazing

things across the country, and they must be recognised. I commend this forum for recognising the expertise and contribu-tion of its current chairperson, Ms Ntombi Msimang, who happens to be a woman. I trust this is indicative of a sector that knows what needs to happen and seeks to boldly embrace the new. We have come a long way since the formation of ASUF in 2012, and I can state without doubt that the organisation has greatly enhanced the visibility and profile of the agricultural sector. When I was handed the agriculture portfolio in 2009, I had messages of sym-pathy from some of my colleagues, who saw it as a “nothing” Ministry. In five years, agriculture has become central to the work of government, and the Ministry is now at the heart of everything we do to address the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and employment,” she said.

Agri SA’s president, Johannes Möller, agreed that ASUF is part of a process and that real and nuanced differences among members dictate that they will not be reaching full integration overnight. However, he mentioned that commercial agriculture is most certainly delighted to be part thereof.

Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, with Mr Japie Grobler, Deputy Chairperson at ASUF.

Mr Johannes Möller, President of Agri SA, and Dr John Purchase, CEO of the Agricultural Business Chamber.

March 2014 DAFFnews No. 3 4

The South African government, through the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), has been work-ing with the International Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases, a specialist body of the World Organi-zation for Animal Health (the OIE), to push for the recovery of the foot-and-mouth disease free status for the country. This status was suspended in February 2011, and the ban has been in place for the past three years, pro-hibiting the export of red meat. This ban has cost up to R3 billion annually in lost exports.

“I am therefore delighted to confirm that the Scientific Commission has concluded that South Africa has now met all conditions of the OIE, and therefore qualifies for the recovery of its status as a country where FMD vaccination is not practised”, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson said.

The OIE has published a statement on its website on the reinstatement of South Africa, which can be found at www.oie.int. Our own department’s statement will be on www.daff.gov.za.

While welcoming the positive develop-ment, the Minister has now directed the department to develop medium and long-term interventions to bolster South Africa’s biosecurity controls and ensure that the country maintains this status. Achieving FMD-free status appears high on the sector priorities in the Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP), which is in the final stages of consultation before going to Cabinet. The Minister will be pleased to now revise that part of the Plan, to focus on maintaining the status.

Details of these plans, with time frames, can be provided by the department, but will include a focus on increasing the efficiency of our extension services, the expansion of veterinary services through compulsory community service, and the deployment of the mobile veterinary clinics that we have recently acquired.

The department will coordinate the com-pulsory Community Service for graduates, who will be closely mentored, and the first

cohort will be in the field during 2015. Twenty-seven mobile clinics have also

been procured and will be deployed to all provinces. These are fully equipped vehicles, including operating theatres, and will bring veterinary services to rural areas where they have not previously been.

The department is working closely with the provincial departments to establish a livestock identification and traceability system in foot-and-mouth disease areas. This will allow DAFF to track and trace every animal in contaminated areas, with each animal receiving a uniquely coded, tamper-proof tag.

National Treasury has agreed to fund the construction of a state of the art vet-erinary institute, under the auspices of the Agricultural Research Council (the ARC), at a cost of nearly R500 million. Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), which is a state-owned company, has also been supported with funds to strengthen its capacity. Construction work on a vac-cine production facility is at an advanced stage, and once completed, will signifi-cantly strengthen our disease management systems. This will allow for the production of much-needed vaccines, including for foot-and-mouth disease, which we are currently importing from Botswana. We will not only be self-sufficient but will also share the African market with our neighbours, in accordance with the recommendations of the the SADC.

“I am also pleased to note that young

scientists are being recruited by the Agricul-tural Research Council to undertake post-graduate studies and research, which will build our capacity as a country to deal with FMD and other crop and animal health issues,” Ms Joemat-Pettersson said.

“These are just some of the interventions that the department will be implement-ing to assure the OIE, the South African agriculture sector and the international community of our seriousness in dealing with foot-and-mouth disease, and plant and animal health in general. We are also cooperating closely with the Department of Home Affairs in ensuring that our border controls are more effective, and that meat and other prohibited products are not pos-ing a risk to our agricultural sector.

“The Scientific Commission has agreed that an expert mission will be conducted in December this year, which will verify that the required measures have indeed been fully implemented. The FMD control areas in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal will be inspected. We look forward to receiving and hosting this mission, and will ensure that we deliver on our com-mitments.

“I wish to thank the department—led by the Director-General, Professor Edith Vries - for its dedication and hard work, provinces for their cooperation, stakeholders and farmers for working with us and achieving this major milestone. It has been a long and cold three years—but the future of our red meat industry beckons once again”.

Meat export ban lifted

Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with Dr Mpho Maja, Director: Animal Health on the left side.

Departmental

No. 3 DAFFnews March 2014 5

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South Africa is a country that poses many challenges, but it is also the ac-cess road to investments in Africa and provides sufficient opportunities in agriculture for investment, expansion and trade. New foreign agricultural investments are to the benefit of the country’s agriculturists and promote job creation.

This was the main theme of a speech delivered by Dr Pieter Mulder, Deputy Min-ister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries , at an international agricultural conference held in Pilansberg. The conference was attended by some of the most successful farmers in, among others, America, Russia and Portugal.

Dr Mulder said that South Africa is still the economic giant in Africa, and if the current trends continue Africa will play an increasingly important role in the world economy.

“By the year 2040 one in five young people on the planet will be staying in Africa and the county’s workforce will exceed that of China.

“Of special concern to agriculturists is that Africa has nearly 60% of the world’s uncultivated agricultural land and a large part of its natural resources. However, the continent only delivers 10% of the world’s food while its consumers are increasing three times faster than those of the OECD7 countries (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Devel-opment) and food production will have to show a corresponding increase, “ said Dr Mulder.

According to him the big reason for Afri-ca’s low food production is the huge deficit in large commercial farming enterprises. In Africa 85% of all “farms” are smaller than 2 ha. In America, for example, only 4% of all farms are smaller than 2 ha. Therefore new models must be developed to enable production according to this model without disadvantaging commercial farmers. If the envisaged Tripartite Free Trade Area becomes a reality in Africa it will create a market for 600 million people in 26

Dr Pieter Mulder, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, with Ms Stephanie Krifka, Monsanto Key Accounts (US), Mr Hendrik van Staden, Key Accounts Manager South Africa (SA) and Mr Jim Bowman, Monsanto Vice-President and Global Marketing Lead (US).

South Africa the access road to investments in Africa

countries stretching from Cape Town along the East Coast up to Cairo.

According to Statistics South Africa there are 47 500 commercial farmers in South Africa who form the key to food security in the country. The latest figure is closer to 36 000. They produce 95% of the country’s food while the remaining 5% is produced by the 220 000 emerging and 1,3 million subsistence farmers. With urbanisation being a worldwide trend and more than 60% of the world’s population living in cities, the role of subsistence farmers in food security is diminishing. It is clear that the world will have to rely to an increasing extent on industrial agriculturists to keep

the world food basket from becoming empty.

In the period 2012/13 South Africa’s exports of agricultural products increased by 16,4%, however, imports also rose by 12,3 %.

“It is important for government to create new agricultural opportunities in South Africa, for which close cooperation is needed and is essential between the agricultural and business sectors as well as government and foreign investors. It is also important that government should create a conducive climate, which will make South Africa an attractive option for foreign investors,” said Dr Mulder.

March 2014 DAFFnews No. 3 6

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South African biotech crop industry shows incline

By Helen Phushela

Professor Mau-rice Moloney addressing journalists at a press confe-rence in Centu-rion.

The South African biotech crop industry has shown an interesting increase, with South Africa leading in the inno-vation of technology it should be a sure success in other African countries.“ The key reasons for the growth is that the market (the farmers who are looking at the various alternatives), has re-alised that these technologies really improve their earnings,” said Prof. Maurice Moloney, who was address-ing journalists at a press conference in Centurion last month.

According to the recently appointed Food, Health and Life Science Industries group, South Africa has a responsibility to assist other African countries in em-bracing genetically modified organism (GMO) farming. In the 18 years since the introduction of the technology the country has been the leading producer of biotech crops and a participant for 15 years. The 2013 total biotech crop area for maize, soya beans and cotton is estimated at 2, 9 million ha, a 6% increase compared to 2011 (2, 3 million ha). Maize plantings dropped from 2, 83 million ha in 2012 to 2, 73 million ha in 2013 as a result of severe drought conditions. Biotech maize represents 86, 6% of total maize plantings, a decrease from 2, 42 million ha in 2012 to 2.36 million ha in 2013.

South Africa’s GMO crops, which include maize, soya beans and cotton, amount to 2, 9 million ha. In second place is Burkina Faso with 474 299 ha of cotton and Sudan trailing at 62 000 ha. With Africa’s fast growing population the continent should start working to become a food basket for the world, taking full advantage of the fertile land. Soya-bean plantings increased in 2013 from 500 000 ha to 520 000 ha, with a 92% biotech increase (from 90%). The herbicide tolerant area increased from 450 000 ha in 2012 to 478 000 ha, showing a 28% increase. The total cotton area decreased from 11 000 ha in 2012 to 8 000 ha in 2013; this is the result of higher prices for maize and soya beans and a decline in world cotton prices.

Altogether 348 GMO permits were issued from 31 January to 31 October 2012. Maize accounted for 87%, soya beans 5, 2%, cotton 6% and GM varie-ties1, 2%. Food security in the country has received a significant boost from GMOs. Since 1998 the country’s maize production has shown significant growth from an aver-age non-GMO dry land yields of 2,73t/ha. In 2008 this increased formidably to 5,09t/ha. This is an increase of 81%, which has a positive impact on food security in the country.

With 2, 9 million ha, South Africa ranks eighth in the adoption of GMOs after the US 70, 1 million ha, Brazil 40, 3 million ha, Argentina 24, 4 million ha, India 11 million ha, Canada 10, 8 million ha, China 4, 2 million ha, and Paraguay 3, 6 million ha. In Burkina Faso growth in GMO technolo-gies has tripled. Most of the GMO crops are found on farms in Limpopo, Northern Cape, Free State and Eastern Cape prov-inces. The benefits of GM crops are the reduced use of pesticides/insecticides in farming worldwide, with an estimated 500 kg reduction in the use of pesticides. Im-

proved soil quality, and better water reten-tion were some of the benefits. Altogether 497 million kg of pesticides were not used, reducing CO2 emissions by 27 billion kg in 2012.

The biggest challenge facing the industry globally is the European Union’s food safety policy, which is largely influenced by poli-tics. Their investigation into GM products is a lengthy one that delays the approval process. The South African Consumer Act of 2008 (implemented in 2011) has been sub-jected to criticism from stakeholders. This is because of Regulation 7 of the Act, which states that GM/GMO “goods” ingredients or components should be included in the labelling of the product. The effect of the technology on pollinators is that it reduces the use of insecticides that do differentiate between good and bad bacteria.

In the future farmers can expect geneti-cally improved technology that will allow them to select crops. This would mean tailor-made crops to suit various needs of consumers and suppliers. A shorter plant development period can also be expected by 2030.

No. 3 DAFFnews March 2014 7

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The long, green-shaded stretch of land seemed lifeless with no human move-ment in the damp, rainy weather. The long bus ride to Matlerekeng village in Marble Hall, Limpopo, left of us tired. The mud seemed to go on forever, but for Mr France Malela it was the heavens finally saving his crops. While farmers in the Eastern Cape struggle to feed their livestock and have to deal with drought and dying crops, Mr Frans Malela’s farm was looking pretty in the rain. The neighbouring farm owners came, in dribs and drabs, to hear about the “miracle seed” that he uses to grow his maize.

He started farming in 1984, when there were no biocrops that could survive stalkborers and other parasitic pests that torment farmers. “I am originally a cotton farmer,” he said proudly as he addressed fellow farmers on his farm during an Afri-ca-Bio farm visit. He stated that he loves cotton, because it survives easily in the heat of Limpopo. His family received 4 ha of land though the Land Redistribution Act along with other families in Matlerekeng, which he later rented. He currently farms on all 150 ha of land. Mr Malela started planting GMO maize in the year 2000 with only 15 employees working on the farm. “The information I received in work-shops held by Monsanto saved my farm, and today I make 70% turnover profit”. Mr Malela managed to buy machinery and trucks as well as tractors from the increased turnover from the local sales of his crops. Even though he currently only plants BT maize, he hopes to expand his use of GMOs in the future, adding soya beans to his list of produce.

The Limpopo agricultural manager Ms Lamola said the department was fully in-volved in helping small-scale farmers like Mr Malela, their province’s shining star. He started as a small backyard farmer and today he champions biotechnology crops on his land. “I carried Malela on my back, and he became a successful farmer. This shows that my back does

By Hellen Phushela

Biocrops for Mr Malela

not carry spoiled produce,” Chief Koos Mahlobogwane said, pointing at Malela. This would forever remain the softer and more human side of statistics shown by government. It is the stories of small-scale farmers tilling their land and ensuring that Africa does become the world’s food basket. It is stories of Mr Malela that en-courage and empower other small-scale farmers to take their trade seriously.

South Africa’s future seems a bit bright-er with the people like Malela tilling their land. He also would like to own 1 000 ha of land one day and export his produce to countries consuming GMO products. For now he will keep selling his maize to cooperatives and feeding his family.

“I don’t have lot to say but I have a lot to do,” he concluded.

Mr Mallela started planting GMO maize in the year 2000. He stated that he loves cotton, because it survives easily in the heat of Limpopo.

March 2014 DAFFnews No. 3 8

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The Department of Agriculture, For-estry and Fisheries (DAFF) in collabo-ration with provincial Department of Agriculture and Environmental Af-fairs (DAEA) in KwaZulu-Natal want to help communities around Hlabisa Local Municipality to have more food. Both departments held a meeting on 21 February to find out what kind of challenges are being faced by the com-munities in the area. The meeting was followed by site visits to the projects to monitor the progress of the maize planted recently.

This is part of the Integrated Food Se-curity and Nutrition Programme (IFSNP)

By Samuel Kgatla

Access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for all

which coordinates and implements a variety of food security projects in line with the Integrated Food Security Strategy (IFSS) of South Africa. The vision is to attain universal physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food by all South Africans at all times to meet their dietary and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Areas to be covered under Hlabisa include Mansiya, Phindisweni, Nhlwathi, Matshamhlophe, Mfanela, Tebha, Mdlotsheni, Gqamu 1 & 2, Mafahla, Dan, Tatalambo 1 & 2, Tejane 1 & 2 and Edengeni.

Both departments helped by provid-

ing maize seeds, fertilisers, erecting of fences and offered agricultural advice through extension support. DAFF through the Directorate: Subsistence Farming (D: SF) is currently in support of providing agricultural assistance to the already committed 130 000 subsistence produc-ers in the current financial year 2013/14. Furthermore, the D: SF also develops and promotes national policy and standards for household food security.

Meanwhile, DAFF has put plans into place to ensure that the maize does not become wasted after harvesting. This comes after the arrangement for storage tanks and the roping in of the World Food Programme to buy maize from the com-munities.

The issue of food (in)security has been critical in many parts of the world, includ-ing South Africa. DAFF was mandated to develop agricultural policies and support programmes to ensure that South African citizens are given agricultural opportunities that will enable them to meet their basic food needs. DAFF’s major role is, among others, to ensure that opportunities are created to encourage citizens to partici-pate in agriculture and produce to reduce food insecurity in the country.

Thandani Mavimbela, chairperson of all the communities under Hlabisa, said DAFF and provincial DAEA came up with this idea of wanting to help them plant maize seed to ensure that they have enough food. He continued that the project is for 3 years and is viable as they are now in the second year.

“We want to use this land for the benefit of our people. The main focus for now is on maize and then after that we shall consider the planting of beans. With this project, we are planning to create more employment and fight hunger. We are just afraid of the heat from the sun. We hope our crops will not be affected by it. We also enjoy working with both depart-ments,” he said.

A meeting was held with members of Hlabisa municipality.

DAFF has put plans into place to ensure that the maize does not become wasted after harvesting.

No. 3 DAFFnews March 2014 9

Sector

From left to right Mr Moela (Director: DEA), Mr Hlamalang (Public Works), Ms Bosaga (Director: LUSM, DAFF), Mr T.W. Nxesi (Minister Public Works) and Ms Mahlangu (MEC: Public Works, Mpumalanga)

The Kamoso Awards 2013 ceremony was held last year at Emperors Pal-ace in Gauteng Province. In attend-ance were the implementers of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), namely: Construction sector, environment and culture sector, non-state sector and social sector.

Mr T.W Nxesi, the honourable Minister of Public Works, was a keynote speaker and together with the MEC for Public Works in Mpumalanga handed the awards to the deserving recipients.

The purpose of the ceremony was to encourage, motivate, recognise and reward the best performing government departments, municipalities, provinces and public bodies for their significant contribu-tion in creating work opportunities for the unemployed. The Mookgopong LandCare Project scooped the award within the Envi-ronmental and Culture Sector as the best national project.

Mookgopong LandCare Project is situ-ated in Mookgopong in Limpopo within the Waterberg District. The project was funded by the LandCare conditional grant for the 2012/13 financial year and the current fi nancial year (2013/14) to erect 18 kilometres of fencing and it has already created 25 job opportunities.

Limpopo delegates posing for a photo after scooping anaward.

LandCare Programme scooped award in Kamoso Awards ceremony

March 2014 DAFFnews No. 3 10

The Department of Agriculture, For-estry and Fisheries (DAFF) reached new frontiers this year when its Directorate Food Safety and Quality Assurance (D: FSQA) introduced their new laboratory machines. The process, which started in July 2013, has finally led to this mo-ment that will be remembered in the department’s history.

The laboratory is furnished with equip-ment called the gas chromatography dou-ble quad mass spectrophotometer (GC- MSMS) and liquid chromatography mass spectrophotometer (LC- MSMS), meaning they can test gas and liquid compounds. While the old equipment can still do the job well, the new ones can quantify and confirm results in a single experiment.

The new equipment, which Ephraim Moruke, the Scientific Technician Control, would rather refer to as instruments, was procured at the cost of about R9 million in February 2014.

Although an LC machine was bought in 2007, the directorate felt the use of the liquid machinery needed to grow in the laboratory as not all compounds can be turned into a gas or liquid. As a result, additional LC -MSMS GC -MSMS instruments were procured in 2014.

“LC detects a wide range of com-pounds,” Moruke highlighted.

The machines will test citrus fruit and subtropical fruit such as man-goes and avoca-dos, among oth-ers. South Africa’s stable food, grain, maize and popcorn will also be tested

Departmental

Department procures new laboratory machines

By Jamela Nkanyane

on the new equipment as was done by the old equipment.

As required by the standards of the European Union (EU), DAFF was found in 2006 to have inadequate equipment to meet export standards. The EU standards include testing all compounds which are registered and certified for use in a certain country for safety. The regulatory labora-tory is also required to test for banned and illegal substances. There are about 436 varieties of compounds, ranging from her-bicides, pesticides, insecticides to others, registered for use in South Africa.

Until 2006, the laboratory functioned on GC instruments with conventional de-tectors like the electron capture detector (ECD), flame photometric detector (FPD), a single quad mass spectrophotometer

(MS) which were about 11 or 12 years old then while the European countries were already ahead with technology. An LC-MS was in use in the European countries. In a bid to catch up with this technology, the directorate motivated for the lab to get this LC-MS machine which was obtained in 2007.

The department has a similar labora-tory in Stellenbosch, which also got this new equipment. However, Stellenbosch obtained a GC-MSMS. These differences in instruments mean that the Pretoria labo-ratory will expand into liquid testing and Stellenbosch gas testing. In total, DAFF has procured four machines; one liquid chromatograph MSMS and three gas chro-matographs MSMS. The one LC-MSMS and one of the three GC-MSMS instru-ments are commissioned at the Pretoria laboratory and the other two GC-MSMS instruments are in Stellenbosch.

Mr Moruke said what it means for the laboratory is that with these new instru-ments (an LC-MSMS) work faster as it is

possible to achieve shorter run times. Furthermore, dou-ble quad MS tech-nology can detect lower concentra-tions of compounds tested as compared to a single quad MS. DAFF will meet the EU standards, Moruke added.

The current equip-ment in the labora-tory complemented by the new equip-ment is expected to work even better as detection levels for compounds and reporting timelines are expected to im-prove significantly.

The Pretoria laboratory will expand into liquid

testing and Stellenbosch into gas testing.

No. 3 DAFFnews March 2014 11

Sector

Department procures new laboratory machines

Farmers in Modimolle Municipality converged at Ipopeng Project recently to broaden their knowledge on poultry production as arranged by the Lim-popo Department of Agriculture (LDA). Different stakeholders also attended the event to assist farmers in running successful businesses.

Ms Portia Mgima from Eskom advised farmers to visit the Eskom offices when they encounter challenges such as meter readings and electricity cut offs for reasons they do not understand. Mgima also pro-vided phone numbers for farmers to call for enquiries (0860 037 566).

Mr Max Makome from Modivoer advised farmers to buy quality food to produce quality products. Modivoer is a company that sells quality feeds for chicken, sheep and cattle. It also distrib-utes chemicals and vaccines. Makome also advised the farmers to use the follow-ing principles, which were developed by Modivoer for owning a successful poultry

business: A farmer must always be on the farm. The presence of the owner is important to detect quickly when things go wrong and to be able to take necessary steps to rectify the problem. Farmers need to develop skills, attend study groups and training to advance their knowledge.

Farmers should exchange information with others through interaction like that day’s gathering for developing continuous knowledge. Farming requires passion.

The importance of biosecurity and se-curity must always be prioritised. Check whether the sawdust is in good condition and chicks must always be in a clean en-vironment to ensure their comfort.

Mr Bongani Kgadima, from a company called Mashuping Rural Development Consultants, said farmers should not ignore the importance of occupational health and safety for safe operation, safety of farmer and workers, as well as that of the produce (e.g. biosecurity).

The MEC for Agriculture in Limpopo Ms Rosina Semenya, plans to build four additional fishponds with the average of 1 000 square meteres with the car-ing capacity of 50 000 fish.

Speaking at the official handing over of the project in Phetwane Village, MEC Semenya said the implementation of the small-scale fisheries policy would yield positive results.

She said the policy would give formal recognition and legal protection to a previously ignored sector by adopting a development approach for small-scale fishers. She said her department desired

to support irrigation schemes and aqua-culture in the province.

“Sustainable Agriculture involves among others; efficient and effective management of environmental, economic and social aspects within the sector. The department has adopted a principle that anybody who stores water is a potential Fish Farmer,” she told more than thousand people at Phetwane.

Project Leader Mr Philip Magane thanked the Limpopo Department of Agriculture for supporting the project. He asked the MEC to assist with a pack

house, coldrooms and slaughter house in order to meet the high the market demand. Magane mentioned some well-known businesses that were ready to buy fish from the project. He appealed to the MEC to fast track the building of other fishponds in nearby schemes such as Ellandskraal, Setlaboswane and Krokodil.

In his view, this could make them meet market requirements, by so doing, intensif-ing the fight against hunger, poverty and unemployment. The Executive Mayor of Sekhukhune Councillor Mogobo Magabe also promised support to the project.

Quality food produce quality chickens

The event ended with a practical demonstration of poultry vaccination by Mr Jaques Koen, an animal health technician from the Modimolle agricultural office.

Small-scale fisheries policy would yield results

March 2014 DAFFnews No. 3 12

Sector

The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Afri-can Crane Conservation Programme (EWT-ACCP) and Ezemvelo KZN Wild-life (EKZNW) are excited to report that the 2013 KwaZulu-Natal aerial survey of cranes yielded the highest count of wattled cranes since the start of the surveys 20 years ago.

A total of 261 wattled cranes, including chicks, were counted during the survey, while 55 breeding pairs monitored on the ground through the 2013 season have fledged a minimum of 21 chicks. Completely dependent on wetlands for their long-term survival and with approxi-mately 85% of all South African wattled cranes being found on privately owned farms, this year’s World Wetlands Day theme ‘Wetlands and Agriculture’ is so aptly suited.

“South Africa’s wattled crane population is finally stable and showing a slight in-

Best wattled crane breeding season in 20 years

crease in KwaZulu-Natal, where approxi-mately 90% of the country’s population is found. We fitted leg colour rings to a total of 16 chicks this season–this is the highest number of wattled crane chicks ever ringed in one season since the start of colour ringing of Wattled Cranes in 1987. Colour ringing of chicks, under permit, allows us to answer critical questions, including movement, survival, age of first breeding, sex ratio’s and proportions of adults that breed. This enables KZN Wildlife and us to monitor how well the population is do-ing and to implement conservation action appropriately,” said Tanya Smith, Senior Field Officer of the EWT-ACCP.

Each year, the province’s crane aerial survey totals approximately 25 hours of flying and covers roughly 20 000 km2 over five days. The results achieved would not be possible without the concerted effort by

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the EWT.“A big thank you to the farmers who

are actively involved in efforts to con-serve wattled cranes and wetlands. Your involvement, commitment and passion has continued to grow each year. Collabora-tion eases many of the challenges we face in the field and helps us to achieve the kind of conservation results that benefit the species we are trying to preserve,” concluded Tanya.

Wattled crane conservation in KwaZulu-Natal is sponsored by Rand Merchant Bank through the implementation of the EWT’s Drakensberg Crane and Wetland Conservation Project, in collaboration with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and KZN Crane Foundation. For more information on the annual crane aerial survey or any of the above initiatives, please contact Tanya Smith on tanyas@ewt.org.za

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