Domaine Rautenbach, Brand Manager at Eskort was on the OFM Business Hour to talk about pork’s popularity as lamb and beef prices soar.

Rautenback says these soaring meat prices are due to: the rise in grain prices which impacts the costs of animal feed; the 9, 6% increase in energy prices; sluggish economic growth; and food security concerns due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

At half the price of beef and a third of the price of lamb, pork has emerged as the protein alternative for South African households of late, reveals Eskort’s Brand Manager.

What about chicken? 

Whilst the perception is that chicken has always been the cheaper meat type, Rautenbach argues chicken prices have climbed by 10% annually over the last 10 years. Hence the shift towards pork.

In 2021, the Agri hour took a look at the pork industry with Johann Kotzé, CEO of the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO). He said that South Africa has a little over 140 abattoirs that slaughter pigs, of which only five of them have export status.

Also Read: A look into SA’s pork industry

Pig production takes place all over the country with Gauteng, Eastern Cape, and the Western Cape being the biggest producers. Furthermore, when looking at barriers to enter into the pork industry, Kotzé says that food safety is non-negotiable. However, he says that this is a challenge in South Africa.

Biosecurity is one of the important aspects of running a successful and reliable pork industry. But, this can be capital intensive. Adding to that, Kotzé says risk mitigation is of importance to the industry. He says that this also creates capital-intensive barriers. When one wants to mitigate risks, you have to inject capital into infrastructure to make sure that affordable, nutritious, and healthy pork meat is produced.