Farmer’s Weekly – 30 August 2019

Weekly neWsWrap

22 farmer’sweekly 30 August 2019

DoIt Againhasdoneit again

after being named South Africa’s

Horse of the Year in not one,

but two Thoroughbred breeding

and racing industry award

events held this month.

The back-to-back winner of the

Grade 1 stakes Vodacom Durban

July, Do It Again was named Horse

of the Year at the Cape Breeders

and Racing Awards in Cape Town,

as well as at the Equus Awards

in Johannesburg recently.

According to Sarah Whitelaw,

spokesperson for the Cape Breeders’

Club, the gelding made a clean sweep

this season, taking home every award

for which he was nominated.

“Do It Again is definitely one of

the best horses South Africa has

seen in at least the last decade.”

ThegeldingwasbredbyRobin

Bruss of Johnnesburg, who runs the

Northfields Stud, and was sired by the

stallion Twice Over of Klawervlei Stud

near Robertson, out of the mare Sweet

Virginia. He is now being stabled at

Lammerskraal Stud near Ceres. Do It

Again was trained by Justin Snaith.

Whitelaw said Do It Again also won

the title of Champion Older Male and

Champion Middle Distance horse at

both events, as well as the Champion

Miler title at the Equus Awards.

The title of Champion Breeder at

both award events this year went to

Wilgerbosdrift near Piketberg and

Mauritzfontein near Kimberley, two

studs Whitelaw said were operated

as a partnership between mother/

daughter team Mary Slack and Jessica

Jell. She said this award was presented

basedon earnings by horses they

had bred, which totalled just under

R30 million, excluding restricted

stakes in the 2018/2019 season.

“They had six stakes winners

that won a total of 16 stakes races

over the season,” Whitelaw said.

The Wilgerbosdrift mare, Halfway

to Heaven, was named Broodmare

of the Year and her offspring

Hawwaam was named Equus

Champion 3YO Colt for this season.

The stallion, Silvano, stabled at

Maine Chance Farm near Robertson

and sired by the colt Hawwaam, was

named Champion Stallion. According to

Whitelaw, Silvano had now been named

champion sire in South Africa four times.

The Outstanding Breeder award at

both events went to Drakenstein Stud

near Stellenbosch. – Sabrina Dean

Horses

Clean sweep for Do It Again at equine awards

SouthAfricanwoolbuyerssay
theyarestillawaitingfeedback
ontheprotocolsrequiredby
Chineseauthoritiesforexports
beforetheywillparticipatein
thenewseasonsales,which
gotunderwayinAugust.
TheSouthAfricanWooland
MohairBuyers’Association
(SAWAMBA)saidearlier
thismonthit wouldnotbe
participatinginthenewseason’s
salesuntiltheDepartmentof
Agriculture,LandReform
andRuralDevelopment
(agriculturedepartment)
couldprovideclarityonthe
proceduresrequiredbythe
ChineseGeneralAdministration
ofCustomsofthePeople’s
RepublicofChina(GACC).
PaulLynch,directorof
StandardWool,vice-chairperson
ofCapeWools,anda member
ofSAWAMBA,toldFarmer’s
Weeklythat“buyerswerehoping
tomakea decisiontogobackto
theauctions,butwehavestill
notreceivedanyfeedbackfrom

theagriculturedepartment.”

Lynchsaidbuyersrealised

theimpacttheirdecisionnot

toparticipatewashavingon

theoverallindustry,butsaid

theysimplycouldnotafford

toparticipateatthisstage.

Thiswasbecausetheprotocols

negotiatedwithChinese

authoritiestoreopenwoolexports

afterthefoot-and-mouthdisease

(FMD)outbreakearlierthisyear

hadspecificrequirementsthat

wouldresultinpaymentbeing

delayedforuptofourmonths.

“Nofundingmodelsare

available.Withthemarginswe

make,thebanksarenotwillingto

fundforthatduration,”hesaid.

Hesaidthefinancial

implicationforfarmers,brokers

andbuyers,aswellasshipping

companiesandbanks,wasvery

significant,withthecosttothe

industryoverthepastseason

estimatedatbetweenR80million

andR100million,orevenmore.

Generalmanagerofthe

NationalWoolGrowers’

Wool

Wool buyers awaiting clarity on Chinese export protocols

Association, Leon De Beer,

said it was a crisis for farmers,

especially those still struggling

to recover from the drought.

This upset comes as the Bureau

for Food and Agricultural

Policy released its latest South

African Baseline report, in which

it was stated that the gross

value of wool produced in the

country had increased 203%

from 2009 to 2019, with prices

reaching record levels in 2018.

The FMD outbreak had

resulted in export volumes

during the first four months

of the year showing a 46%

year-on-year decline.

According to the report,

the industry was expected to

continue growing over the

next decade, albeit at a slower

pace than the past decade.

However, projections were

based on the assumption

that procedures would be in

place for exports to China

to resume in 2019/2020, the

report said. – Sabrina Dean