Resource efficiency in red meat abattoirs in South Africa

• 25 May 2021
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• Agbiz
• Guest User

Water scarcity, greater demand for water, and changes in water supply due to climate change are severely affecting large parts of Southern Africa, including South Africa, posing a significant risk to the region and its economies.

A sector particularly vulnerable to water shortages is South Africa’s red meat abattoir industry, a major contributor to value addition, job creation, and exports.

Increasing water scarcity—combined with the rising cost of energy and fuel—is threatening the competitiveness and sustainability of the sector, which consumes about 10 percent of the total water used by agri-processing companies in the country (excluding pulp and paper).

The good news is that there are ways the sector could tighten the taps on its water use (and reduce the use of other resources) which would lower costs and shrink the industry’s environmental footprint. In turn, this would increase the competitiveness and sustainability of abattoirs, enhancing their export potential.

Through its Agri-Processing Resource Efficiency (APRE) Programme, IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, recently published a study that assesses the resource efficiency of 21 South African red meat abattoirs—both large and small—across the country.  

The study found that the red meat industry could reduce its water consumption by up to 28 percent, saving the country up to 1.25 million cubic meters of water annually, equivalent to 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The study also found that the industry could potentially reduce its energy consumption by about a quarter, equivalent to 92,000 MWh a year.

The study, Benchmarking Study: ResourceEfficiency in Red Meat Abattoirs in South Africa, provides an in-depth resource efficiency analysis of the beef, pork, sheep and goat meat agri-processing subsectors in South Africa.

It was conducted by IFC, in partnership with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Red Meat Abattoir Association, and the Netherlands.

A Practical Guide for Improving Resource Efficiency in Red Meat Abattoirs in South Africa in Red Meat Abattoirs in South Africa, was published alongside the study and identifies and summarizes common resource efficiency opportunities for red meat abattoirs in South Africa.

A key output of the Benchmarking Study is the Self-Assessment Tool that produces a Resource Efficiency Benchmark Report tailored to the participant plant. The Self-Assessment Tool assists abattoirs to measure and compare their energy and water consumption against industry best practices.

To get your free customized assessment, contact: info@rvav.co.za

For more information about the reports and programme contact Raymond Greig: rgreig@ifc.org

 

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