DAFFOfficial newsletter of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

October 2015

This huge bull drew the Minister’s attention at Agri Mega Week in Bredasdorp. From left is Mr Lumko Mtimdi, Chief of Staff in the Ministry DAFF, Mr Willem Wagener from Toorberg Farm, Mr Senzeni Zokwana, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Mr Orton King, the CEO of Agri Mega Group. With them is Waldor, the 36-month-old Romagnola bull, already weighing a healthy 1 100kg from Toorberg Farm in the Graaff Reinet district.Romagnola is a breed of cattle from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It belongs to the Podolic group of grey cattle. Romagnola cattle were used principally as draught beasts in the past. Since the mechanisation of agriculture in the middle of the twentieth century, they have been bred primarily for beef production. The Romagnola’s temperament is docile but alert, making it an easy breed to handle.

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Editor Piwe Mbiko (012) 319 6936 piwem@daff.gov.zaSubeditor Lerato Mofokeng (012) 319 7927 leratomof@daff.gov.zaReporters Thuli Lehong (012) 319 7929 nokuthulale@daff.gov.za Samuel Kgatla (012) 319 7181 samuelk@daff.gov.za Musa Khumalo (012) 319 6695 musak@daff.gov.za Innocent Mhlanga (012) 319 7827 innocentm@daff.gov.za Rony Moremi (012) 319 6622 rincertm@daff.gov.za Jamela Nkanyane (012) 319 6903 jamelan@daff.gov.za Mercia Smith (012) 319 6666 mercias@daff.gov.zaPhotographer Jarius Mmutle (012) 319 7366 jarusm@daff.gov.zaInterns Zama Buthelezi (012) 319 6958 ZamaB@daff.gov.za Dimakatso Modise (012) 319 7819 DimakatsoMo@daff.gov.zaDistribution Salome Bodibe (012) 319 7085 salomeb@daff.gov.za Sheila Flockton (012) 319 7141 sheilaf@daff.gov.za Website: www.daff.gov.za

DAFFnews is the newsletter of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry

and Fisheries. Private Bag X250, PRETORIA 0001.

It is published by the Directorate Communication Services, Private Bag

X144, PRETORIA 0001.

Opinions expressed in DAFFnews are not necessarily those of the

editorial team. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying,

recording or any information storage or retrieval system without prior

permission from the editor.

Food security is a constitutional right and therefore DAFF continues to prioritise it as one of the key focus areas together with job creation, Mr Senzeni Zokwana, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. He was speaking at Agri Mega Week in Bredasdorp.

Being invited to the event is relevant as DAFF is fully committed to the growth and development of all producer categories: subsistence, smallholder and commercial. “We want lasting partnerships to work to-gether in fulfilling our priority to increase the number of individuals who are food secure,” Mr Zokwana said.

In an effort to address food security, Cabinet approved the National Policy on Food and Nutrition Security in 2013. DAFF introduced the Fetsa Tlala Food Production Initiative aimed at increasing food accessibility, affordability and avail-ability by putting 1 million hectares of underutilised land under production by the 2018/19 production season. The focus is on the increase of maize production.

Lasting partnerships can work together in fulfilling our priority to increase the number of individuals who are food secure. Mr Senzeni called upon commercial farm partners and small-scale farmers to work together with Government.

More than 7 million people currently experience hunger, which means adults and children go hungy often because there is not enough food in their house-holds. “The partnership I am calling for, where you mentor young South Africans, is achievable. My call today is for farm-ers to work with us as Government”, the minister said.

Government will look at ways to com-pensate established farmers in mentoring new entrants. DAFF do not want to alien-ate the established commercial farmers while working with small-scale farmers.

Collaborations and joint ventures are necessary towards the attainment of gov-ernment efforts in eradicating poverty. Partnerships are critical in achieving the

objectives set out in the National Develop-ment Plan, that highlights the importance of rural areas which are spatially, socially and economically well integrated across municipal, district, provincial and regional boundaries.

Six policy imperatives, which are the focus of the current Medium Term Strategic Framework are:

Improved land administration and •spatial planning for integrated devel-opment in rural areas.Sustainable land reform.•Improved food security.•Smallholder farmer development and •support for agrarian transformation.Increased access to quality basic in-•

The sheep shearing demonstration drawed a lot of attention at AgriMega week.

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Minister at AgriMegaweek

frastructure and services, particularly in education, healthcare and public transport in rural areas.Growth of sustainable rural enter-•prises and industries characterised by strong rural-urban linkages, increased investment in agro-processing, trade development and access to markets and financial services.

The National Development Plan further mandates that by 2030 agriculture should create approximately 1 million new jobs, contributing significantly to reducing over-all unemployment.

DAFF has strategic interventions imple-mented to realise the vision of eliminating skewed participation in the sector and ensuring food security such as:

The Comprehensive Agricultural Sup-•port Programme (CASP) aimed at providing post-settlement support to the targeted beneficiariesIlima/Letsema is aimed at supplying •most of the agricultural inputsLandCare programme—a community •based and government supported approach to the sustainable manage-ment and use of agricultural natural resources.

Besides observing the decline of the com-merical sector, the smallholder sector has not grown with some viewing smallholder support as a waste of resources due to their vast challenges, Mr Senzeni said.

However, smallholder producers tend to use labour intensive methods rather than capital intensive ones, and as such, small-holder agriculture tends to absorb more labour and use land more intensively.

Mr Arno Munro from fisheries is inviting school girls at AgriMega week to touch a star fish. Some of them were not too sure if they would do it.

This will contribute to the fulfillment of the New Growth Path (NGP), which has the longer-term target of growing the small-holder sector by 300 000 by the year 2020. Also, 145 000 new jobs in agro-processing have to be created. Conditions for 660 000 farm workers must be improved.

It is essential to equip smallholders so that ultimately they can meet a large share

of the food requirements.It is also important that we produce qual-

ity products that we can export to interna-tional markets. Government is engaging markets like China, Russia and others so that producers can sell their products.

Mr Senzeni concluded by saying that he wishes to see more youth and women in agriculture.

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This advice can save your life!28 September is World Rabies Day

where individual countries across the world organise events to raise awareness and promote prevention.

What is rabies?Rabies is a disease that affects the brain,

causing people and animals to die.

Signs of disease in animals?Changes in behaviour (e.g. wild animals

appear tame, while domestic animals become aggressive), salivation (drooling or foam at the mouth), incoordination, paralysis (loss of ability to move) and in-ability to swallow or drink water.

How do people get rabies? People most commonly get rabies from

being bitten by a dog that has rabies. People are usually infected after a deep bite or scratch by an infected animal. Dogs are the main host and transmitter of rabies. They are the cause of human rabies deaths in Asia and Africa.

Bats are the source of most human rabies deaths in the Americas. Bat rabies has also recently emerged as a public health threat in Australia and western Europe. Human deaths following expo-sure to foxes, raccoons, skunks, jackals, mongooses and other wild carnivore host species are very rare.

Transmission can also occur when infec-tious material – usually saliva – comes into direct contact with human mucosa or fresh skin wounds. Human-to-human transmis-sion by bite is theoretically possible but has never been confirmed.

Rarely, rabies may be contracted by in-halation of virus-containing aerosol or via transplant of an infected organ. Ingestion of raw meat or other tissue from animals

World Rabies Dayinfected with rabies is not a source of hu-man infection.

SymptomsThe incubation period for rabies is

typically 1–3 months, but may vary from 1 week to 1 year. The initial symptoms of rabies are fever and often pain or an unusual or unexplained tingling, pricking or burning sensation (paraesthesia) at the wound site. As the virus spreads through the central nervous system, progressive, fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord develops.

Two forms of the disease can follow. People with furious rabies exhibit signs of hyperactivity, excited behaviour, hydropho-bia and sometimes aerophobia. After a few days, death occurs by cardiorespira-tory arrest.

Paralytic rabies accounts for about 30% of the total number of human cases. This form of rabies runs a less dramatic and usually longer course than the furious form. The muscles gradually become paralyzed, starting at the site of the bite or scratch. A coma slowly develops, and eventually death occurs. The paralytic form of rabies is often misdiagnosed, contribut-ing to the under-reporting of the disease.

Which animals can get rabies? Pets, e.g. dogs and cats. Livestock (e.g.

cattle) and some wildlife can also get rabies.

How do I protect my pet and myself?

Have all your dogs and cats vaccinated yearly – it is compulsory by law. Never touch or pick up stray animals.

If you get bitten: Wash the wound(s) well with lots of •soap under running water.

Immediately go to a clinic.•You might have to return to the clinic •several times for treatment. Failure to return for follow-up treatment can result in the treatment not being effec-tive and death may result.Inform the local state or private vet-•erinarian, animal health technician or even the local police so that they may find and remove the rabid animal before it hurts anyone else.

Contact your nearest state/private veteri-narian/animal health technician for further information.

Directorate: Animal HealthTel: 012 319 7456, orDirectorate Food Import and Export

Standards, Animal Health Promotion Division

Tel: 012 319 6004/6117.

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Dog vaccination: The key to end human rabies transmitted by dogs

The eradication of dog-transmitted human rabies is possible. We now have all the tools required to achieve this goal by the middle of the 21st century. Over 95% of human rabies cases are caused by dog bites. By vaccinating 70% of dog populations in areas where rabies is present, the number of human cases can rapidly drop to almost zero.

The mass vaccination of dogs has been accepted by the international com-munity as the most cost-effective means of eliminating rabies. Since 2012, the OIE Rabies Vaccine Bank has supported the implementation of dog vaccination campaigns in OIE Member Countries, providing them with high quality vaccines at an affordable price. A number of these countries are now a step closer towards becoming “rabies free.” On occasion of World Rabies Day 2015, the OIE reaches out to the international community to continue all efforts towards meeting this realistic goal.

Paris, 28 September 2015 – “Mass vaccination of dogs is the method of choice for eliminating dog-transmitted human rabies. It is the only real way to break the disease’s infectious cycle be-tween animals and humans,” underlines Dr. Bernard Vallat, the Director General of the OIE. “The global eradication of rabies is possible by vaccinating large populations of dogs in affected areas.”

Some countries, notably in Europe, have already succeeded in eradicating rabies through the implementation of dog vaccination campaigns. Although undertaking vaccination campaigns can represent a financial challenge, the benefits of this approach immediately readdresses perspectives: around 10% of financial resources currently used to provide emergency treatment for human victims could cover the costs required for all national Veterinary Services globally to eradicate rabies in dogs through vac-cination.

Through its World Animal Health and Welfare Fund, the OIE supports its Mem-ber Countries in their efforts to combat rabies and has taken various steps in this direction. Since its creation in 2012 and with the financial support of the Eu-ropean Union, Australia, Germany and France, the OIE established its Rabies Vaccine Bank; this mechanism has been deployed globally and has been used by some of the poorest countries in Asia and Africa.

The Philippines was one of the first countries to benefit from the OIE Vaccine Bank for Rabies. Since 2013, more than 3,5 million doses have been delivered to several provinces with the results proving, by and large, very promising. Acknowl-edging the importance of controlling rabies in dogs, the Philippine govern-ment has allocated additional funds to purchase rabies vaccines through WHO and the OIE Vaccine Bank. Through its continued commitment to this cause and with the support of the OIE, the Philip-pines government is effectively working towards eliminating rabies by 2020. Other ASEAN Member Countries are also accelerating towards the goal of a “Rabies-free ASEAN by 2020”.

As of September 2015, almost 15 mil-lion rabies vaccines for dogs have been delivered worldwide by the OIE. Of these, 7 million have been delivered by the OIE to fourteen countries to support national vaccination programmes.

In the framework of the Tripartite Al-liance on rabies control, the WHO has decided to place its procurement orders for canine vaccines through the OIE Ra-bies Vaccine Bank. In 2015, 7,85 million doses of rabies vaccines were purchased by the WHO through the OIE Rabies Vac-cine Bank for delivery to the Philippines and to South Africa.

“The OIE Rabies Vaccine Bank is a timely instrument because when we need the vaccines, they come promptly.

The Vaccine Bank is a reliable source of vaccines for us – we can go about our activities on schedule and it makes the communities happy because when we promise them that the vaccines will be coming, they are really coming. The vaccine bank helps us to focus our limited resources in high-risk areas that need immediate intervention,” says Dr. Emelinda Lopez, National Project Coor-dinator of the OIE Rabies Project in the Philippines.

This vaccine bank mechanism guar-antees the availability of high-quality vaccines complying with OIE intergov-ernmental standards. It also ensures their rapid delivery at a low price, following international competitive calls for tenders between potential providers.

In addition to the vaccine doses, OIE Member Countries also need support in implementing vaccination campaigns. The OIE Animal Health and Welfare Fund also supports activities such as recruiting and training dog vaccinators, producing educational material and in conducting communication campaigns to raise awareness on the importance of responsible dog ownership.

Today rabies continues to impact lives in most countries worldwide. This means that half of the world’s human population is at risk of contracting rabies. In areas where access to post-bite prophylaxis is limited or nonexistent, infection by the disease will lead to death. Investment is necessary to help countries globally to implement national vaccination cam-paigns targeting canine rabies.

The WHO, OIE and FAO, with the sup-port of GARC, have developed a ration-ale for investing in the global elimination of dog-mediated rabies. The partners are convinced that the collaboration between human and animal health sectors is es-sential to eradicate the disease and will hold a global Conference on this topic on 10 to11 December 2015 in Geneva.

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The Department of Agriculture, Forest-ry and Fisheries (DAFF) is introducing and enforcing the date code on ISPM 15 certified wood packaging material (WPM) as a traceability and control measure.

Service providers are therefore given until 1 January 2016 to implement the new system, thereafter non-complying WPM will be rejected. Service providers that are currently implementing the date code sys-tem such as those participating in the USA citrus export programme are encouraged to continue with the system.

The system will be implemented as follows:

The date code shall be applied to all •WPM material certified for ISPM15 compliance such as pallets, boxes, crates and dunnage.Date code shall consist of a day, •month and year (e.g. 01-01-2016, 01/01/2016 or 01 Jan 2016).Must be placed strictly outside the •borders of IPPC mark in a visible location.The date code must be legible, dura-•ble and not transferable.Methyl bromide service providers shall •apply a date of treatment.Heat treatment service providers shall •apply a date of treatment. In cases where WPM is manufactured •with treated timber, a date code must be applied by the manufacturer.Imported and WPM certified before •the implementation date will be ex-empted.

For more information contact your nearest region:

Gauteng regionMr Leponti Molepo, Tel.: 011 9715119 Email: LepontiM@daff.gov.za

Implementation of date codes on wood packaging material

(Date of Treatment)

Kwazulu-Natal regionMs Sylvia Ndlovu, Tel.: 031 368 8540, Email: SylviaNd@daff.gov.zaEastern Cape regionMr Khuliso Mulaudzi Tel.: 011 9715119 Email: Khuliso Mulaudzi@daff.gov.zaWestern Cape regionMr. Lonwabo MagaduleTel.: 021 809 0218Email: LonwaboM@daff.gov.za

Examples of acceptable marks

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Registered with DAFF-DIS.•Legible, permanent and not •transferable.Placed in a visible location, •preferable on at least two opposite sides.Rectangular or square in •shape.Surrounded by border line •with a vertical line separat-ing IPPC logo from country information.Must not be hand drawn.•No other information shall •be contained within the bor-ders of the mark.No variations in the symbol/•mark should be accepted.Traceability requirements •dates must be included on certified wood packaging material to correspond with records, however it must strictly be outside the bor-ders of the mark.“DB” is no longer a require-•ment

The mark should consist of:The symbol – IPPC logo•Country code – ZA•Unique code allocated to •service providerTreatment code – MB/HT •

IPPC logo outside the leaf

Examples of unacceptable marks

IllegibleIPPC logo and the leaf on the wrong

side of the mark

Incorrect shape, round instead of square or rectangular

Additional information within the borders of the mark

Illegible, incomplete, hand drawn and no border line separating logo from

country information

Implementation of date codes on wood packaging material

(Date of Treatment)

The mark should be:

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The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana in-vited the members of the public and media to celebrate World Oceans Day and the launch of the Status of the South African Marine Fisheries Re-sources report recently in Cape Town.

The minister, accompanied by the lead-ers of industry and DAFF fisheries leader-ship, held a commemoration of World Oceans Day. The minister, in his address, highlighted the development of more marine scientists for the fisheries sector for food security.

The presentation of The Status of the South African Marine Fishery Resources was presented by Dr Kim Prochaska, Direc-tor: Fisheries Research and Development. The report is a biannual publication that presents and summarises the current status of South Africa’s fishery resources and the status of the marine living resources in seventeen fishery sectors in South Africa.

In her presentation, Dr Prochaska cov-

World Oceans Day

By Musa Khumalo

ered a detailed overview on key fishery resources such as the Cape hake, abalone and the West Coast rock lobster.

She mentioned that many of our key marine resources have been overfished in the past therefore, rendering our resources impoverished and catches are often far less than what they could be and this could be a challenge. However, the good news is that wild fish stocks are not doomed to dwindle down to nothing, but through wise management, something can be done.

“By implementing resource recovery plans, based on our experiences, we can achieve gains that will make a significant positive contribution to food security and alleviate coastal poverty,’ said Prochaska

The Minister, in his closing remarks, mentioned the importance of the ma-rine economy and that fish supplies the greatest percentage of the world’s pro-tein consumed by humans, making the ocean a significant component to food

security. Therefore, the sustainable use and management of the oceans and its resources are crucial to us and the future generation.

“While research alone cannot prevent stocks from crashing, it remains one of the key components of the overall man-agement system which includes resource management and monitoring, control and surveillance,” concluded the Minister.

After the closure, all invited guests were given a guided tour of the Sarah Baart-man—the vessel used for surveillance. It carries 18 crew members, seven fishery inspectors and four cadets. The vessel is 83 metres in length and has a beam of 13 metres. Its range is 7 500 nautical miles at 15 knots and it can remain at sea for up to 45 days.

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The six chosen Department of Agricul-ture, Forestry and Fisheries and China scholarship recipients are geared-up to study in China. This was witnessed during the pre-departure orientation workshop held at DAFF V-Block, Agri-Place on 1 September. The students are going to further their studies at three different universities such as China Agricultural University (CAU), Jilin Agricultural University (JAU) and Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU).

This is the fifth group of students to study in China since the inception of the DAFF-China Scholarship Programme initiated by DAFF in February 2010. The purpose is to address the acute skills deficit and scarcity of professionals and technical staff in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors.

Mr Tinyiko Shuma, admitted for M.Sc in Agricultural Economics and Management

By Samuel Kgatla

Send-off ceremony for Chinese scholarship recipients

in CAU; Ms Odeshne Moodley, admitted for PhD Plant Pathology in JAU, Mr Vin-cent Vacu, admitted for Masters in Crop Genetics and Breeding in JAU; Ms Lerato Mabe, admitted for PhD in Acquaculture in NAU, Mr Ntsako Nomvela, and Mr David Leshaba, both admitted for M.Sc Acqua-culture in NAU are the 2015 awardees of DAFF-China scholarship. The students are going to spend periods of two and three years studying in China.

The Directorate: Sector Education and Training organised the pre-departure orientation session to share with the schol-arship awardees about the student life in China, what to expect, the do’s and don’ts, the outline what the scholarship covers, to provide background information on the historical, political, traditional, social cus-toms and climate conditions in China.

The Deputy Director-General for Food

Security and Agrarian Reform, Mr Mor-timer Mannya, thanked China for agreeing to partner with DAFF and help to build South Africa.

“It is through these kind of partnerships where we continue to invest and build our country. As for the scholarship awardees, just remember that this is not only about you, but the country as a whole. We wish you the best and always remember why we sent you in China. Do what is best with what you have when you are in China. I believe we are not sending cry babies there and we want to support you as much as we want, but do us proud. Enjoy yourself and help us to help this country with your researches because all our confidence is in you. China is also a big friend of South Africa,” concluded Mannya.

The scholarship recipients left the coun-try on 7 September.

Acting Dirctor-General, Mr Mortimer Mannya and Ms Lebo Botsheleng posing with Chinese delegates, DAFF officials and scholars at the pre-departure orientation workshop.

October 2015 DAFFnews No. 10 10

According to the World Food Bank, there are 11 million South Africans who are living in extreme po-verty and as a result, go to bed hungry every single day. Further reports reveal that hunger kills more people than AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined. In South Africa, where the triple threat issues of pov-erty, unemployment and in-equality continue to tarnish the dignity of many peo-ples’ lives, the observance of World Hunger Day is of paramount importance.

“Not one South African should go to bed hungry. For as long as there are people who, on a daily basis, are burdened with the concern of where their next meal is going to come from, how can we claim to be truly liberated?” says Immaculate Zinde, Man-ager: Product Promotions, Potatoes South Africa (PSA).

The potato industry is alarmed by these statistics and has pledged to show their sup-port for the hungry and poor of South Africa by way of do-nating R10 000 to the Africa Children Feeding Scheme in Alexandra, Johannesburg. In the true spirit of making a difference and as so eloquently captured in the phrase: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime,” on 28 May 2015, Potatoes South Africa will in addition to donating money, also partner with Anna Montali, South Africa’s leading foodie, journalist, recipe developer and food stylist, who will demonstrate at the feeding scheme the value of incorporating potatoes into a balanced, nutrient dense and wholesome meal.

Claire Julsing Strydom, who is regis-tered with the HPCSA and the American

Potatoes carry the Potential to make a difference

Sector

Nutrition and Dietetic Academy and is the current President for the Association for Dietetics in South Africa, has volunteered her time to educate, inform and impart nutritional information that is crucial in curbing food insecurity.

“The value of the potato is not only disre-garded but highly underestimated. Potatoes remain one of the most affordable and accessible vegetables and starch on the South African market. This is in line with two of the Food Based Dietary Guidelines of South Africa as prescribed by the De-partment of Health which state that South Africans should:

“Make starchy food part of most meals: a food-based dietary guideline for South

Africa”.“Eat plenty of vegetables

and fruit every day: a food-based dietary guideline for South Africa

“When prepared in a healthy way, potatoes pro-vide individuals with nutrients while keeping them fuller for longer,” says Zinde. Not only are potatoes nutritious, affordable, and socially ac-ceptable, potatoes are al-ready an integral part of the global food system. They are the world’s number one non-grain food commodity with the primary potato industry in South Africa contributing a substantial R3,6 billion to the South African economy.

“While we are mindful of the fact that there are still misconceptions around po-tato consumption as it relates to nutrition and health, our research shows that the av-erage annual compounded growth rate in the per capita consumption of potatoes in South Africa is between two and three percent. Bottom line—potatoes are still a very

important part of the South African shop-ping basket,” says Potatoes South Africa CEO, Dr André Jooste.

Within the horticultural sector, potatoes contribute 13 percent of the gross value, making them the third biggest in the sector after deciduous and tropical fruits, while it boasts as the fifth biggest product in the agricultural sector - excluding livestock.

“The primary industry provides between 60 000 and 80 000 casual and perma-nent jobs annually, affording people the opportunity to earn a living, which provides the opportunity to feed their families,” says Jooste.

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To many South Africans, a potato is a vegetable and starch food on a plate. To just over 640 of South African potato farm-ers and farm workers, it is a vital source of income. For many nutritionists it is a product that must form part and parcel of a nutrient-dense and balanced diet. For PSA employees it is a food crop that can address the triple threat issues of poverty, unemploy-ment and inequality.

PSA is also initiating the Hunger Bust Cam-paign (#HBC) in observance of World Hun-ger Day. The #HBC challenges South African retailers, fresh produce markets, processing companies and any interested organisation to match or better PSA’s donation by pledg-ing monetary and other support to a charity organisation of its choice. The campaign will be launched on 28 May and end on World Food Day, 16 October 2015.

For further information on the Hunger Buster campaign, please contact Jean at Storybook Communications on 021 975 3553 or jean@storybookcommunications.co.za

The value of potatoes is not only disregarded but highly underestimated. Potatoes remain one of the most affordable and accessible vegetables and starch on the South African market.

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Cape Wine 2015, September’s three-day showcase to the international wine fraternity has proved the most success-ful exhibition of its kind to date, with the number of visitors rising by 27% since the previous show.

Held every three years, this year’s trade fair drew 1 900 visitors from a total of 58 countries. Delegates included retail-ers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, educators, wine critics and media who had come to meet the 350 exhibiting producers and taste their wines.

Siobhan Thompson, the CEO of Wines of South Africa (WOSA) who organised the event said: “The overriding impression amongst guests was that South African wine has assumed a new level of quality and a clearly differentiated and distinctive voice. Returning visitors who have been following our progress over the years could see the impact of the extensive innovation in wine-growing and winemaking that has been taking place. They consistently remarked on how this has been translating

into greater confidence amongst exhibitors, who are now more readily expressing what is uniquely South African in their wines”.

In his opening address WOSA chairman Michael Jordaan also highlighted the im-portance of innovation when he spoke of South Africa being at a tipping point “where all the cumulative innovations in the wine industry would start showing.”

It was a view that resonated with many of the delegates who had come to attend what is the largest international wine trade show in the Southern Hemisphere.

Thompson said while there had been a strong turnout from traditional markets across the European Union, especially from Germany, the UK and the Scandinavian bloc, and a larger contingent from the US and Canada than in previous years, the biggest percentage increases had come from Asia and Africa.

“Of course, that’s from a lower base, but it is encouraging to see that the enthusiasm for the South African category is becom-ing more widespread. This will help us to

expand our geographic reach and begin penetrating newer and more of the emerg-ing markets.”

Asia had been particularly well-represent-ed, she said, with visitors coming predomi-nantly from China, Hong Kong and Japan. Africa was represented mainly by delegates from Nigeria, Angola and Ghana, while several Brazilians were also amongst those from emerging markets.

She said the mix of delegates had af-forded exhibitors very good access to influencers and decision makers.

Michael Franz, a US-based wine editor, critic, educator and consultant to the res-taurant trade, praised South Africa’s ability to offer value across a spectrum of wine prices and styles. “No other country comes to mind that can as authentically straddle the divide between the old and the new worlds. You have the climatic capacity and soil diversity to make distinctive, compelling and appealing wines. South African Char-donnay retailing for US$17 is arguably the best in the world at that price.”

Cape Wine 2015 reflects new era for industry

October 2015 DAFFnews No. 10 12

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The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) is proud to announce the newly declared Cedarville Protected Environment in the Eastern Cape by the Eastern Cape MEC for Economic Development and Environmental Affairs, which borders on the small rural town of Cedarville. The quiet, roadside village of Cedar-ville in the Eastern Cape will never be quite the same again.

Cobus Theron, the EWT’s African Crane Conservation Programme’s, Drakensberg Regional Coordinator, who led and fa-cilitated this process over the last three years explains: “Much emphasis has historically been placed on the creation of nature reserves as the only option to conserve habitats. However, the reality is that many conservation opportunities exist on commercial agricultural farms and the Protected Environment provides an ideal framework to promote conservation within and around the agricultural landscapes of the Cedarville area.”

Most importantly, the declaration comes in the wake of increased mining activity in the area and the new status of the land will secure this beautiful landscape for many years to come. At almost 18 000 ha in size, the Cedarville Protected Environment is the third largest protected environment declared in the Eastern Cape consisting of privately owned land that forms part of the Eastern Cape’s Biodiversity Steward-ship Programme. This programme allows private or communal landowners to enter into a contractual agreement with govern-ment in which both parties undertake to promote conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services, in this case, within agricultural landscapes.

The Protected Environment will therefore pave the way for the protection of certain vegetation types and species that have up until now received minimal protection in this far flung corner of the Eastern Cape interior. Iconic species such as the Blue crane, Grey crowned crane, aardvark and oribi, as well as threatened veg-etation types such as the Mabela Sandy

Cedarville Protected Environment declared

Grassland will now enjoy far greater and optimal protection in this new protected environment.

The African Crane Conservation Pro-gramme regards the Protected Environ-ment as crucial for the conservation of cranes. The large flat areas within the Pro-tected Environment (known as the “Flats”) serve as foraging grounds for large flocks of Blue cranes and Grey crowned cranes, while the more mountainous grassland sections provide perfect summer breeding grounds for Blue cranes. Many streams that originate from here also feed small wetlands which also provides suitable nest-ing sites for pairs of Grey Crowned Cranes. The Protected Environment includes a wide variety of habitats that include grasslands, thicket and wetlands that serve as the water factory for the mighty Umzimvubu River. “We anticipate that in time, addi-tional landowners will join the programme to ultimately form a conservation corridor between the Cedarville Protected Environ-ment and the Matatiele Nature Reserve in the west.” remarked Theron.

Much of the area under the Cedarville Protected Environment previously formed

part of the Cedarville Conservancy. Ac-cording to Gerbrand Nel, one of the farm-ers who participated in the process, “step-ping up to Protected Environment seemed like the next logical step”. “I urge everyone to make a trip to Cedarvile to experience the beauty and scenery of this special corner of our country.” Concludes Cobus. The African Crane Conservation Pro-gramme is a partnership between the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the Interna-tional Crane Foundation (ICF). The pro-gramme focusses on securing and improv-ing the conservation status of Africa’s four resident crane species and the wetland and grassland habitats upon which they depend. This is achieved through actions to reduce threats to the species and their habitats, by working closely with local communities and key stakeholders to manage catchments sustainably for both people and cranes, and empowering in-dividuals and organisations to implement conservation action.

For further information about the African Crane Conservation Programme and the declaration of the Cedarville Protected Environment visit www.ewt.org.za.