Woolgrowers in the Mnquma local municipality gathered at the Mgcwe Admin Area in Gqoloma Locality, Nqamakwe, on Wednesday to take part in the annual Eastern Cape Communal Wool Growers Association (ECCWGA) Mnquma LM Flock Competition after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19.
The competition coincided with the official opening of the Siyazama Gqoloma shearing shed, which was built in collaboration with the ECCWGA and the department of rural development & land reform (DRDLR).
The competition featured four categories of sheep: Pure Merino Rams, Dohne Merino Rams, four- to eight-tooth ewes and two-tooth ewes.
Judges were brought in from across the province to oversee the event, and included a number of veterinary scientists.
“The criteria used was on the management of animals in terms of how and what the animals were fed and whether they were vaccinated or treated with animal medication, including dipping.
“The farmers even manicured the sheep’s hooves,” said Mnquma spokesperson Loyiso Mpalantshane, on behalf of executive mayor Tunyiswa Manxila-Namisa.
“These animal scientists have the expertise to analyse the genes of these animals to see if they were crossbred or not.
“They can look at the body and see if the animal has any spots, and can judge the type of wool the sheep produces.”
Mpalantshane said the day was part of a larger series of competitions which take place at local, district and provincial level.
In addition to the sheep judging, there were other activities to keep visitors entertained.
“There were market stalls at the venue hosted by the different businesses who trade in animal feed and animal medication,” Mpalantshane said.
He added that one of the competition’s aims was to help educate farmers on the proper way to raise their livestock.
ECCWGA secretary Xolisa Bomela, the winner in the Pure Merino and Dohne Merino Rams categories, said the competition was well-attended with about 200 sheep presented on the day.
“We’re doing it locally now and after Mnquma is finished, we’ll do it at different municipalities.
“Around July, there’s a provincial competition,” Bomela said.
“We wanted to do it this year, skip the next year and do it again the year afterwards.”
Prizes were sponsored by the DRDLR and included new rams, animal feed and livestock medicine.
Department director of livestock research, Mfundo Macanda, said they were working with local farmers and the ECCWGA to assist them with training and accessing supplies.
In addition to sponsoring the competition, Macanda said the department had helped sponsor the construction of the shearing shed at a cost of R1.2m.
“It’s fully equipped with all the sorting tables, baling tools and material required for shearing,” he said.
The department assists in training wool farmers in the area, providing them with the skills they need.
Mpalantshane added that the municipality was also doing what it could to assist farmers in the area.
“We offer support in terms of animal medication; we assist farmers with drawing up a business plan, we also identify pockets of land where there is a need,” he said.
“We think the development that we see here speaks directly to our local economic development strategy where we seek to empower communities with skills so they can become self-sustainable.”
The ECCWGA, according to Bomela, exists to help woolgrowers in the province.
“What we do is assist farmers in filling in the forms so that their applications can succeed.”
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