Red Meat Levy Structure
A COLLECTIVE INVESTMENT. A TANGIBLE DIFFERENCE.
Red Meat Levy Structure
A COLLECTIVE INVESTMENT. A TANGIBLE DIFFERENCE.
The Red Meat Statutory Levy is not just a regulatory requirement – it’s a shared commitment by the red meat value chain to fund the work that benefits all of us.
Who pays it?
The levy is paid by the owner of the animal at the time of slaughter, collected by the abattoir. Depending on how the animal moves through the value chain – from farmer to auction, to feedlot or buyer – the levy responsibility always lands with the owner when the animal is slaughtered.
The 2025 Statutory Levy
- Cattle: R14.33 per head
- Small stock: R2.79 per head
Levies are only collected at the abattoir.
What happens to the money?
The levy is channelled directly into RMIS’s Project Portfolio – a series of targeted, high-impact projects designed to strengthen the industry across four core pillars:
- Animal and Public Health
- Inclusive Growth
- Market Access
- Competitiveness & Sustainability
Every project is aligned with the 2030 Red Meat Strategy and approved by the industry-led RMIS Board of Directors. To read more about how projects are prioritsed visit our research structure page under the Field to Future services heading.
What do we do?
- We research, develop, and implement.
- We adopt, evaluate, and report.
- We stay accountable, data-driven, and collaborative.
Our mandate is simple: turn every rand into real-world value for the red meat sector.
Why it matters?
The levy exists because no single farmer, feedlot, auction, or abattoir can fund industry-wide progress on their own. But together – through this shared model – we can:
- Build a trusted red meat brand for South Africa
- Open access to markets, information, and innovation
- Ensure fair, legal, and safe practices for all
- Grow the next generation of inclusive red meat businesses
It’s not just a levy. It’s how we build a future-fit, inclusive, and resilient red meat industry – together.
The History:
