Listeria fallout hits pork industry hard

By Tanya Steenkamp

South Africa's pork industry is losing about R45-million a week owing to “listeria hysteria”‚ and experts warn that many small-scale pig farmers will not survive the plunge in demand for pork.

South African Meat Processors Association chairperson Arnold Prinsloo said about 2‚000 jobs have already been shed at processing plants.

“Enterprise had 300 people laid off; another large company laid off 150. A process plant in the Free State laid off 200 people and in Durban a plant laid off about 300 workers. Then there are a lot of small guys who have shed jobs.”

According to him‚ listeriosis has cost the processed meat industry R800-million per month.

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