Livestock and poultry auction market - a unique cultural feature of South African farmers

Every weekend morning, at the Die Ark Veilings livestock and poultry auction market in the South African capital Pretoria, there are filled with the bleating of goats and sheep, the mooing of dairy cows, the squealing of pigs mixed with the squawking of chickens and the quacking of ducks.

The sounds of the countryside signaled the arrival of a farmers' gathering in the surrounding area.

In the barns, goats, sheep, cows and pigs are numbered or tagged. All around, buyers watch the auction and eagerly bid for their favorite animals.

Livestock auctions at Die Ark Veilings market take place every Saturday and are run by professional auctioneers.

To bid, participants must register with the auction house, receive a number, and deposit a small amount.

Animals are brought to the market and auctioned off by the pen, which can be one or two animals or even a whole herd, mixed with livestock and poultry. The highest bidder gets to buy the entire pen.

Livestock auctions like this are where farmers, especially small-scale farmers, bring their livestock products. They also have to register in advance and schedule an auction for each livestock.

All animals for auction must be branded or tattooed with the owner’s personal mark, inspected by the livestock anti-theft unit as well as the animal protection agency to avoid ownership conflicts and ensure that they are not abused or mistreated. Animals offered for sale are also quarantined to ensure good health.

Under South African law, animals must be marked for traceability and identification, and cannot be auctioned without these markings. This helps prevent the sale of stolen animals and helps track animals in the event of a disease outbreak.

For South African farmers, the biggest advantage of an auction is that small-scale, beginning farmers can easily buy and sell livestock at market prices. Auctions attract a large number of buyers, making prices more competitive.

Benny is excited with the chickens he bought from the auction. (Photo: Hong Minh/VNA)

Excitedly showing off his white-feathered chickens from the auction, farmer Benny said: “I come here every week to buy chickens for my farm.

My farm can also process chicken meat, harvest eggs and sell them to people around. I can also buy ducks at this market.”

In South Africa, livestock auctions are an important activity for livestock, a major contributor to the country's agricultural economy .

About 34% of commercial farms in the country are livestock farms. Livestock, including sheep and goats, are kept in both dedicated and mixed farms.

Maintaining the operation of livestock and poultry auction markets creates conditions for small farming households to have additional income and improve their lives./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/cho-dau-gia-gia-suc-gia-cam-net-van-hoa-dac-sac-cua-nong-dan-nam-phi-post1047050.vnp