The creation of a value chain
This means that several outlets and
platforms need to be created where
people can sell excess rabbits and
earn income, without the limiting
and sometimes crippling effects of
contracted farming. The model in
mind is similar to one that has been
introduced in some parts of America, where a truck will do a particular route every day through rural
areas, and collect rabbits which
people sell. These are weighed &
checked before purchase and the
driver of the truck pay the person
on the spot for live weight. At first
this posed a problem driving with
cash in South Africa, but these
days, money can be safely transferred to a person’s phone, and
therefore the risk is mitigated.
A market needs to be developed to
sell the meat to, and for this purpose more poultry abattoirs should
be assisted to get licenses to
slaughter rabbit meat. It is currently
unlawful to sell slaughtered rabbits
that haven’t gone through the meat
inspection that is associated with a
licensed abattoir. A good example
of such an abattoir is Carletonville
abattoir that can slaughter a thousand rabbits per day.
The government should assist abattoirs to get licensed to export rabbit
meat. This proves to be one of the
most cumbersome problems yet to
be solved, as government is slow to
assist with this process.
With this problem addressed, farmers and associations can assist in
opening up export markets, and
this can lead to a more sustainable
value chain in meat rabbit production, and does not limit the market
to a selected few.
Education
Extensive educational programmes
on rabbit husbandry needs to be
rolled out. Very little is understood
on rabbit husbandry, and many initial farmers give up after a couple
of months, because the husbandry
requirements have not been mastered, and the markets not understood.
It will further assist in the humane
treatment of rabbits. This will greatly assist the NSPCA in their task,
although current rabbit associations
already assist greatly in promoting
safe and humane rabbit breeding
practices.
It is recommended that the farmer
join one of the various rabbit associations in South Africa to assist
with rabbit education and promoting good rabbit breeding practices.
The current associations are:
The Commercial Rabbit Producers Association of South Africa
(C.R.P.A.S.A)
Gauteng Rabbit Breeders Associ-
ation (G.R.B.A)
The Natal Rabbit Club (N.R.C)
Cape Rabbit Club (C.R.C)
Mentorship programmes
Government should assist with
mentorship programmes, especially
in business and entrepreneurial
skills.
Cost effective practical infrastructure
Before a single rabbit is purchased,
careful consideration needs to be
given to the infrastructure and
housing for the rabbits. It needs to
be fully functional and operational
before rabbit stock is introduced.
Some considerations for rabbit
housing include protection from
heat, wind, cold drafts in winter,
rain, hail, storms, loud noises, predators, have ample lighting, good
ventilation, and how big the farmer
wants to grow.
Hamariti’s approach (a rabbit farm
based in Centurion, Gauteng) has
been to develop the most cost effective, least labour intensive, hygienic, operation-friendly way of
starting a rabbitry since many plots/
smallholders do not have access to
a lot of capital, much water and
other resources.
Other role players
It is important to talk to as many
role players in the market as possible. Understand what is needed to
At Hamariti farm we used old recycled hydroponic structures, recycled plastic “silo” bags, recycled hydroponic plastic sheets, recycled iron poles, and other less expensive materials we could lay our hands on
without sacrificing standards.