Ed Stoddard

1 day ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Ed Stoddard |Yeshiel Panchia

Getting a grip on these multiple threats to animal health and welfare and the agricultural economy is vital and the Department of Agriculture is clearly signalling that it is taking a proactive approach. The first mass vaccination of poultry in South Africa is being launched to contain avian flu as the agriculture sector also grapples with a spreading outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease infecting livestock that has been detected at the world’s largest feedlot, in Gauteng.

2 days ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Ed Stoddard

One key trend that remains largely unchanged from previous forecasts is that across most of South Africa, the winter and spring of 2025 are expected to be warmer than usual. While this will be welcomed by many, it is worrying on a number of fronts. The South African Weather Service has made a U-turn in its rolling five-month outlook for the southwest and the eastern coastal regions of the country.

2 days ago | allafrica.com | Ed Stoddard

The bottom line is that if FMD can occur at this operation, no South African cattle farm or feedlot is safe. But there is no need to rush out to stock up your freezer. Karan Beef said this week that a case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) had been confirmed at its gigantic feedlot facility at Heidelberg in southeastern Gauteng, the latest outbreak of the highly contagious viral infection to hit South Africa's cattle and beef industry.

3 days ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Ed Stoddard

BUSINESS REFLECTION   introducing a left turn on red could either be a revolutionary fuel-saving measure or a recipe for vehicular anarchy.

4 days ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Ed Stoddard

One thing that is as certain as the changing seasons is that as the year progresses, forecasts for South African economic growth in 2025 – which are mostly around 1.2% – will be downgraded, which in turn will blow out of the water many of the revenue and debt projections in Budget 3.0. South Africa’s sluggish economy barely grew in the first quarter (Q1) of this year, expanding a pathetic 0.1% from Q4 of 2024, according to data released on Tuesday by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).