For South African dairy, 2024 was a year of contrasts. Farmers navigated serious disruption, while the sector continued producing, adapting and looking ahead. The year-end picture is not simply one of recovery: it is a reminder that resilience depends on people working together, making informed decisions and finding markets for what local farms produce.
A difficult year, met collectively
The Desmanda saga and the foot-and-mouth outbreak in the Eastern Cape were among the crises that affected dairy farmers during the year. The industry’s response, as described by Sandra Berning, was to join hands, while the Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO) actively helped seek solutions and support farmers. The episode’s account underscores that solidarity is not an abstract virtue: in a sector where disruption can reach individual farms, coordinated support matters.
Biosecurity also remains part of that practical response. In August, the outbreak appeared contained, with day zero declared on some farms, but farmers were urged not to relax their biosecurity measures. Safeguarding herds therefore remained important even as the immediate situation improved.
Production gains, cautious consumers
Despite the pressures, unprocessed milk production in South Africa was set to reach a record in 2024, a measure of the dairy sector’s productivity and resilience. At the same time, the consumer price index for milk, eggs and cheese fell from more than 12% at the start of the year to below 3% in November. Lower inflation may gradually help consumer demand, but the expected recovery was described as slow. The market was thus in transition: strong production alongside consumers who had not yet fully returned.
That gap matters because local consumption remains an opportunity. South African consumers use nearly 50% less dairy than the amount recommended by the World Health Organization for healthy living, according to Berning’s commentary. Ferreira’s January message likewise noted that average per-capita dairy consumption in South Africa is almost 50% below the international average. Both accounts point to a need to better inform consumers about milk’s benefits and to make dairy affordable and accessible.
Turning local pride into everyday demand
The case for local dairy is not only about producing more; it is about helping people understand and choose it. Berning calls for a strategic mix of affordability, accessibility and awareness to build consumer trust and make dairy a staple in more households. She also argues that the industry should show local people that it cares and teach them about the goodness of real dairy.
That approach connects consumer education to food security. Dairy products, Berning says, can contribute significantly to the goal of a Zero Hunger South Africa. The challenge is to translate that promise into practical household choices, while recognising that demand may recover only gradually. This requires attention not just to the farm gate, but to the relationship between the sector and the people it serves.
Building capability and opening markets
The MPO’s 2024 launch of MegaMilk, an integrated database for the primary dairy industry, was intended to strengthen interaction and collaboration. It gives stakeholders a secure way to share valuable information, supporting more informed decisions and greater competitiveness and sustainability across the dairy value chain.
Knowledge-sharing also took a more direct form through a new online learning platform. Its virtual training sessions and educational resources had already reached farmers, students and farmworkers across the country. With biosecurity newly emphasised, that kind of access to knowledge has particular importance. Looking ahead, the MPO planned South Africa’s first Total Mixed Ration Conference for June 2025, bringing together producers, input suppliers, feedlot operators and veterinarians to discuss feed efficiency, animal health and productivity.
Trade offers another route for growth. Ferreira said a recently signed trade agreement with China had opened promising new markets for South African dairy exports, with the potential to strengthen the country’s global position. In January, he had also identified growing demand for dairy in African countries as an export opportunity, while noting that the domestic market remained underexploited.
Growth with purpose
The year’s progress does not erase its difficulties. Instead, it shows what the sector can build on: farmers who kept going through crises, organisations offering practical support, tools to improve collaboration, and opportunities in both local and export markets. Ferreira’s January appeal framed growth as a responsibility—to families, staff, communities, national food security and the next generation—and called for space in the value chain to let producers grow responsibly.
The message for 2025 is therefore twofold. Continue strengthening the industry’s capacity to produce and respond, while making local dairy more accessible and trusted by consumers. If the sector can connect its resilience on farms with effective education, collaboration and market development, “local is lekker” can become more than a slogan: it can mean a stronger place for South African dairy in households and in the wider market.
Key points
- South Africa was on track for record unprocessed milk production in 2024, while consumer demand was expected to recover only gradually.
- Farmers faced serious disruption, including the Desmanda saga and Eastern Cape foot-and-mouth disease; collective support and continued biosecurity remained important.
- MegaMilk and the MPO’s online learning platform were designed to improve collaboration and access to knowledge across the sector.
- Domestic dairy consumption and consumer awareness remain growth opportunities, alongside new export prospects including China.