The Ruffled Roost Blog Posts

Government is holding back a critical South African industry

We spotlight how agronomists Government is holding back a critical South African industry

The R1.6bn poultry failure: How Daybreak became a test of governance and transformation

Parliament says the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) invested more than R1.6 billion in Daybreak Foods before governance failures, weak financial controls, irregular expenditure and alleged fraud contributed to its collapse. Nearly 1,900 employees subsequently lost their jobs, while the company was reduced to a substantially smaller operation under business rescue

Emerging picture of South African poultry in 2026

South Africa’s poultry industry has the potential to become a global exporting powerhouse, but a lack of government support is hampering this. A 2025 study by the Wageningen University in the Netherlands found South Africa to have the 2nd most globally competitive poultry market behind Brazil. The country is now able to produce chicken cheaper and more efficiently than the United States, and has been more cost competitive than the European Union for the past 13 years.

How Climate-Resilient Farming Secures Our Future

Explore how climate-smart strategies are helping farmers thrive even as weather patterns shift.

Cheaper feed helps — but inefficient farming can still destroy the margin

Astral Foods reported that operating profit for the six months to 31 March 2026 increased from R271 million to R1.214 billion, supported by stronger poultry demand, operational improvements and lower feed costs. Revenue increased by approximately 11.4%

The geopolitical shock exposing South Africa’s poultry strategy

One of the most dangerous mistakes in broiler farming is to place chicks first and look for customers later.Broilers do not wait for the market.