Pork Goes High-tech

Pork producers lost millions of rand and hundreds of people lost their jobs due to the listeria hysteria last year. Johann Kotzé, CEO of the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the crisis and how it has reshaped the industry.

THE LISTERIA FALLOUT HAS HIT PORK THE HARDEST OF ALL THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRIES. WHAT WENT WRONG?

Pandemonium broke loose after the Department of Health announced in March last year that they had traced the listeria outbreak to an Enterprise Foods production facility in Polokwane, and advised people to avoid all ready-to-eat meats. While fresh pork was never implicated during the outbreak, social media created panic through the distribution of false and unsubstantiated information. It was impossible to intervene during the first few weeks, as people only heard what they wanted to at that stage.

HOW DID YOU REGAIN CONTROL OF THE SITUATION?

Once the hysteria started to settle, the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO), with the help of a media monitoring company, started analysing reports to identify a recovery strategy. Our inbox was flooded with queries, but instead of wasting time on writers who we knew were only out to create sensation, we focused on getting the truth to journalists from reputable publications. We also realised we needed experts to strengthen our message, so roped in certain professionals to clear misconceptions.

The big turnaround came after we got good publicity from a media conference where we highlighted irregularities that emerged from the boycott of pork. For the first four to six weeks, farm-gate prices dropped far below cost price, while retail prices remained relatively stable. The demand for fresh pork increased substantially after retail prices came down to an affordable level.

CAN YOU QUANTIFY HOW FARMERS WERE AFFECTED?

Pork slaughter prices fell sharply, from R29/ kg to a five-year low of R18/ kg in less than two weeks, after the listeria announcement. Prices climbed slowly after that, returning to R28/kg by the end of 2018.