Meatco buys communal livestock south of VCF

MEATCO is investigating the possibility of buying cattle on the hoof in communal farming areas south of the Veterinary Cordon Fence (VCF), the company has announced.

In Meatco’s latest newsletter, communication officer Monja Viljoen said the company had procured 250 cattle in the Omaheke Region in December 2010. ‘This move will provide as hassle-free a way of marketing as possible to communal producers,’ she said.Meatco is losing cattle in communal areas to buyers who are willing to purchase live animals on the spot for cash, she said. Meatco’s senior manager for livestock procurement, Vehaka Tjimune, said the typical communal producer sells his or her cattle because they are in need of immediate cash. Meatco partially addressed this need through its advance cash payment system through which communal producers can opt for a deposit of N$1 500 per head of cattle in advance when loading their cattle for the abattoir.According to him, the on-the-hoof buying system aims to further support this advance cash payment system.’Communal farmers, traditionally, want to sell their animals with the least amount of effort and, generally, needing the cash by yesterday. By buying cattle on the hoof, Meatco will compete in the same league as its opponents,’ Tjimune said.The Meatco manager said live buying does not only eliminate the risks involved with direct marketing when it comes to aspects like carcass condemnation, but the transport costs of the animals are also no longer something the producer has to worry about. The procedure is, however, only in pilot phase at the moment and various logistical challenges still have to be ironed out.Should the system prove successful, it will be rolled out to the Otjozondjupa, Kunene South and Erongo regions.Tjimune said Meatco had to design a new strategy for the areas south of the VCF as the circumstances between the north and south are totally different. He added that buying cattle on the hoof, if viable and permanently implemented, will not be a stand-alone strategy but it would be supported by Meatco’s wholesale strategy.’What is more, it will only be done during the dry months when Meatco’s abattoirs run low on throughput and additional cattle have to be procured,’ he said.Meatco has been buying cattle on the hoof in the northern communal areas for more than a year and took into account the experience and the lessons learnt there before the pilot phase south of the VCF kicked off. – Nampa