Animal FeedsIntroduction
Animal feed plays an important part in the food chain and has implications for the composition and quality of the livestock products (milk, meat and eggs) that people consume. Animal feed can be divided into four groups - forages (e.g. grasses); cereals and other home-grown crops; compound feeding stuffs; and products and by-products of the human food and brewing industries.
The South African animal feed
industry came into being in the early 1930's during the big
droughts and depression. Circumstances stimulated scientific
thoughts on the feeding of farm animals and alternatives for
feeding systems were developed. The use of Offal / by-products
of other industries came into place, e.g. wheaten bran,
groundnut, offal and brewers grain. Feed Mills were erected in
close proximity of these "sources" and Rail network.
Mode of Transport
The main role players in this region are situated in East London, Queenstown and Grahamstown area. Road freight is used to transport the goods. The size of the trucks ranges from 8 ton to 32 ton trucks (rigids, articulated and interlinks). Smaller sized vehicles like the vans, are used to distribute to local users. Most of the trucks are outsourced to road haulage companies.
Volumes – Annual Tonnages
The annual tonnages have been sourced from the Animal Feed Manufacturers Association (AFMA) website. The figures represented in the following diagram reflect the volumes distributed by AFMA members only.
Table 12: Animal Feed Sales Per Province - 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 (AFMA Members Only) (Tons)
On average, these companies represent about 55.2% of the national animal feed production as researched by AFMA. Therefore, the estimated annual production for the Eastern Cape region is at 474 063 tons.
Issues
The main issue currently with regards to freight movement is the conditions of the roads. Currently, some of these roads are being maintained.
Acts and Regulations
Animal Feeds - Act 36 - Act - May 2008
(Act 36 of 1947) |
