AGRICULTURE
EXPORT-READY LIVESTOCK SYSTEM
BY TARRYN-LEIGH SOLOMONS
SOUTH AFRICA’ S RED MEAT INDUSTRY HAS REACHED A MAJOR DIGITAL MILESTONE WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE RMIS TRACEABILITY PLATFORM, ENABLING TRACKING OF LIVESTOCK FROM FARM TO ABATTOIR.
The Red Meat Industry Services( RMIS) has launched phase 2 of its traceability platform, marking a significant step forward in the country’ s livestock management and export readiness. The upgraded platform integrates multiple digital systems to securely record and share animal movement data, thereby enhancing disease response, improving data accuracy, and ensuring complete transparency across the entire value chain.
Using Global Location Numbers( GLNs) to record verified production sites, the system can now produce real-time traceability reports and disease alerts, helping the sector respond more quickly to biosecurity threats such as foot-and-mouth disease( FMD).
BUILDING ON A SOLID FOUNDATION
Phase 2 builds upon the foundation established in phase 1( which began in November 2024), when RMIS and GS1 South Africa introduced numbering for production units across the red meat value chain. Each site – whether a communal farm, feedlot, auction, or abattoir – was assigned a unique production unit number( GLN) to verify location details and create a standardised basis for traceability.
THIS SYSTEM SUPPORTS CORE INDUSTRY GOALS:
• Strengthening disease management and enabling targeted recalls
• Combating stock theft through verified records
• Enhancing trade and export compliance
• Promoting data sharing across the value chain
“ The introduction of GLNs provided the backbone for traceability,” says Dr Phillip Oosthuizen, RMIS Chief Operating Officer.“ Phase 2 now brings that framework to life through integration and realtime data exchange.”
NEW IN PHASE 2: INDUSTRY INTEGRATION
The latest phase introduces API integration between the RMIS traceability platform and several leading livestock management systems, including:
• Farm level: Benguelasoft, Logix, AIMS, Datamars
• Auction: FlexiAuction
• Feedlot: Gigalot, Pointr Software
• Abattoir: Matrix Software
For the first time, these systems can securely share movement data in a standardised format, with producers’ consent, reducing duplication and manual record-keeping.
A comprehensive list of integrated systems is available on the RMIS website( www. rmis. co. za) and will be updated as more platforms are added.
SOLVING INDUSTRY-WIDE CHALLENGES
The RMIS traceability platform addresses longstanding pain points in the country’ s livestock sector:
• Abattoir-level traceability enables carcasses to be linked back to their source.
32 INBOUND SA / December 2025