Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) has announced its ambitious 2025 Project Portfolio, a comprehensive plan aimed at advancing innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth within South Africa’s red meat industry. Following a successful first full year of operations in 2024, RMIS is set to build on its achievements with ten strategic initiatives, backed by a R50 million budget, aligned with the Red Meat Industry Vision 2030.
Key Achievements in 2024: Laying a Strong Foundation
RMIS made significant strides in 2024, delivering high-impact projects across the red meat value chain:
• Traceability Platform Launch: Phase 1 successfully introduced unique, internationally recognized production unit numbers, enhancing industry transparency
• Interactive Dashboards: RMIS deployed statistical dashboards to track national disease occurrences, slaughter data, and market trends in collaboration with over 200 veterinarians.
• Mobile Processing Units (MPUs): Piloted in communal and emerging farming areas, these units processed over 2,000 cattle, improving market access for small-scale farmers.
• MeatMENTOR Program: A 12-module enterprise development initiative supporting technical and business skills within the industry.
• Capacity Building: Over 500 industry professionals trained, 3,400+ farmers engaged, and 5,000+ webinar views recorded.
• Consumer Education: Initiatives such as Beef & Lamb SA, YouTube Shorts, and social media campaigns helped promote red meat’s nutritional benefits.
• Grade 12 Agricultural Educator E-Learning Platform: A pioneering digital resource to equip teachers with the tools to effectively teach livestock studies.
RMIS 2025 Project Portfolio: Strengthening South Africa’s Red Meat Industry
Aligned with RMIS’s mission to advance the primary red meat industry, the 2025 portfolio includes a mix of ongoing and newly emphasised initiatives thatleverages technology and strategic partnerships to overcome critical challenges and unlock new opportunities.
| 1) Data sharing and communication platform (Traceability) | R 6 000 000 | 12% |
| The continuation of Phase 1 of the industry-driven Traceability Platform which was launched on 1 November 2024. It focuses on identifying production units within the value chain, including farms, communal lands, auction houses, feedlots, abattoirs, and processing facilities and linking a certified global number that is unique to the location. The next phases will focus on developing the traceability data platform and integrating independent recordkeeping systems to enable seamless data sharing. Key elements such as minimum traceability data requirements, data sharing standards, tag accreditation, and a unified numbering system will be established to ensure compliance. The traceability platform is designed to address critical issues, including disease management and stock theft prevention, while enhancing trade opportunities through improved data transparency and expanding market access to both the commercial value chain and export markets. | ||
| 2) Inclusive Growth | R 10 000 000 | 20% |
| Mobile Processing Units & Training: Supporting farmers with essential livestock management practices directly on their farms, diptanks or in communal areas. These state-of-the-art units are fully equipped with a body crush, neck clamp, electronic scale and a variety of animal handling tools to facilitate tagging, branding, dehorning, and vaccinations efficiently and humanely. Operated by a qualified production specialist who will also facilitate comprehensive training based on gaps identified. The focus for 2025 will be on the practical implementation of the mobile units to ensure that animals are vaccinated, treated and tagged to enhance productivity, profitability, and market access through traceability. Land Development Support Programme (Self-funded)RMIS has been appointed as the implementing body for the LDS programme on behalf of DALRRD, overseeing a five-year initiative in all nine provinces. The programme aims to commercialise small-scale farmers through enterprise development, practical implementation and mentorship. Since the launch of the LDS program, RMIS has evaluated 45 farms and submitted comprehensive business plans for each. Out of these, 16 have been approved, with 9 already in the implementation phase. The current project value stands at R350 million. | ||
| 3) Industry Animal Health Recording System | R 800 000 | 1% |
| In 2024, a statistical dashboard was developed and integrated into the RMIS website to share veterinary data on national disease occurrences, in collaboration with Veterinarian Network, providing a comprehensive view of animal health trends across the country. The continuation of this project in 2025 focuses on maintaining data collection processes, improving data accuracy, and enhancing analysis and communication. These advancements aim to empower producers and veterinarians with actionable insights, enabling proactive treatment strategies to mitigate the impact of diseases effectively. | ||
| 4) Industry Meat Safety | R 6 600 000 | 13% |
| The Red Meat Industry Animal Public Health (RMI APH) services will continue to ensure meat safety and training in abattoirs. Meat classification and safety audits will also continue to uphold processes to deliver quality and safe meat. Furthermore, new software development and the creation of Standard Operating Procedures are underway to digitise the collection of meat safety and residue data. These advancements aim to enhance efficiency in tracing non-conformances and addressing meat safety issues. | ||
| 5) Certified South African Red Meat | R 1 000 000 | 2% |
| This project focuses on enhancing quality assurance across the entire value chain while ensuring compliance with international standards and regulations. A key initiative is the international benchmarking of industry standards through ISO accreditation for various regulations within the value chain. Additionally, the project aims to integrate certifications for farms, feedlots, and abattoirs into a unified certification stamp. This consolidated stamp will provide consumers with assurance of traceability, biosecurity, animal welfare, and meat safety, reinforcing confidence in South African red meat products. | ||
| 6) Stock Theft | R 2 000 000 | 4% |
| This project focuses on establishing an industry digital stock theft reporting strategy to streamline the reporting and tracking of incidents. A key objective is to collect, share, and display relevant data, enabling stakeholders to make informed, data-driven decisions. Additionally, it aims to identify and prioritise effective interventions to prevent stock theft, safeguarding livestock and supporting the livelihoods of producers within the red meat value chain. | ||
| 7) Producer/Production Development through communication | R 5 500 000 | 11% |
| A significant communication gap within the red meat industry has been identified, prompting an increase in the project’s focus and budget allocation. This undertaking aims to enhance communication around industry initiatives while fostering production development through targeted support. It seeks to empower producers by providing the knowledge, resources, and communication channels needed to drive sustainable growth and innovation throughout the red meat industry. Exciting initiatives for 2025 include the launch of a podcast series, interactive data accessibility, digital national disease alerts integrated with WhatsApp, and the rollout of the industry digitisation roadmap. | ||
| 8) Consumer Education | R2 500 000 | 5% |
| Beef and Lamb SA: This initiative aims to promote red meat consumption by engaging directly with consumers through strategic collaborations with social media influencers. By sharing scientific insights and intriguing facts, the project seeks to educate the public about the nutritional benefits, sustainability, and versatility of red meat, fostering informed consumption choices and strengthening consumer confidence in the industry. An additional focus area for 2025 will include addressing the skills gaps of butcheries and blockmen and to promote product development. Agricultural Educators E-Learning program: In collaboration with the Department of Education, this initiative is designed to support secondary school agricultural teachers with an e-learning platform tailored specifically to the livestock component of their curriculum. The platform offers valuable resources to aid in lesson preparation and ongoing professional development. Following the successful establishment of the platform in 2024, the 2025 phase focuses on its implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement. By ensuring educators have access to high-quality, practical tools, this program aims to enhance their classes and play a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of agricultural professionals. | ||
| 9) Research & Development | R 9 000 000 | 18% |
| This initiative emphasises the implementation of a Functional Research Structure within the red meat industry. Recognising the vital role of research in maintaining industry competitiveness, RMIS is committed to ensuring that all research efforts deliver significant contributions to the industry’s advancement. By prioritising impactful and innovative studies, this project aims to prevent stagnation and drive continuous improvement across the red meat value chain. Current research includes beef grading and ESG framework and calculator for the red meat industry. | ||
| 10) Biosecurity Marshals & RMI APH | R 7 000 000 | 14% |
| This initiative aims to strengthen biosecurity defences within the livestock industry by introducing the concept of biosecurity marshals. The 2025 focus will centre on developing and piloting this innovative approach, while fostering critical public-private partnerships (PPPs) to enhance its effectiveness. Additionally, a dedicated Red Meat Industry Animal Public Health (RMI APH) officer will be appointed to oversee all animal health initiatives, ensuring comprehensive management and coordination of industry-wide health efforts. | ||
As RMIS accelerates into 2025, its focus remains on achieving the goals as set out in the Red Meat Industry Vision 2030. With a clear strategy and dedicated investment in these initiatives, RMIS can strengthen South Africa’s red meat value chain—empowering farmers, improving market access, and promoting the benefits of high-quality, nutritious red meat.
