“We will not fear,” is scrawled on a large whiteboard in Johann Kotze’s office, followed by another line: “We believe in the miracle maker.”
As Kotze, the chief executive of the SA Pork Producers Organisation, explains its meaning, he buries his face in his hands.
“Jis, it’s been tough. We get calls from worried farmers every day but I will make sure we come through this.”
He traces the crisis in the pork industry to the March 4 announcement by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi warning against the use of processed cold meat cuts, including polony, viennas and ham, to avoid potential Listeria contamination.
“One death is one death too many The minister never had the intent to harm the industry - he never even mentioned the word pork - but the media and retailers went ballistic. The recall was uncontrolled,” he believes.
“The unintended perception was created that all cold cuts are unsafe. It caused huge panic in the market and hysteria.”
Pig farmers have been paying a hefty price. Around 2000 jobs have been shed in the sector and the pork industry is losing R45million a week as demand for polony and other cold cuts has plummeted.
Kotze worries that pig farmers could be driven underground. “Do you think someone who tests and finds Listeria in their factory will put their hand up? No, because you create a culture where people want to hide because they’re so scared they’ll be pushed under the bus too. The risk is that people sell meat that may be contaminated on the open market,” he said.