In a significant move towards establishing livestock traceability in South Africa, the Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) has partnered with GS1 South Africa, a member of GS1 global. GS1 is a not-for-profit information standards organisation that facilitates industry collaboration to help improve supply chain visibility and efficiency using GS1 Standards. This collaboration will enhance supply chain management and industry standards. This is a crucial step toward achieving RMIS's goal of enabling an industry traceability solution to address the recalling of disease outbreaks, sharing of production data throughout the value chain for economic benefit, and propelling the red meat industry towards a 20% export market growth by 2030. By prioritising traceability, RMIS is laying the groundwork to meet these objectives, ensuring the industry's competitiveness and sustainability locally and in the global market.

“GS1 is excited to collaborate with the Red Meat Industry Service to enhance their traceability capabilities using GLN which is crucial to ensure the robustness of its supply chain and enable them to quickly respond to challenges such as outbreaks of livestock borne diseases by swiftly activating traceability of the affected animals. Ultimately this enhances consumer health and safety.” Says Michele Francis Padayachee, GS1 South Africa Executive.

Dr. Phillip Oosthuizen, RMIS COO, Mr. Renaud de Barbuat, GS1 President & CEO and Mr. Robert Beideman, GS1 CPO celebrating the significant move towards establishing livestock traceability in South Africa.

At the core of livestock traceability lies the ability to accurately identify, number, and map the various locations integral to the movement of livestock. RMIS is now officially collaborating with GS1 South Africa and supported by the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa to facilitate this crucial process by issuing Global Location Numbers (GLNs) to locations across the country. These locations include farms, auction houses, feedlots, and abattoirs, forming a comprehensive network essential for traceability measures.

The issuance of a unique GLN to each location ensures precision and consistency in referencing. These numbers are designed to encode vital information such as GPS coordinates, facilitating seamless traceability. Moreover, GLNs are recognised by recordkeeping systems, governmental bodies, and retail and export sectors, ensuring widespread compatibility and utility.

The ultimate goal of this initiative is to streamline the red meat supply chain, offering a clear and structured map of South Africa's agricultural livestock landscape. With every farm, auction house, feedlot, and abattoir pinpointed with its own GLN, stakeholders across the supply chain stand to benefit immensely. From farmers to value chain actors, the ability to track and manage the movement of animals efficiently is greatly enhanced.

This collaboration between RMIS and GS1 South Africa represents a significant step forward for the red meat industry in South Africa. By leveraging global standards and innovative technologies, this partnership promises to revolutionise livestock traceability, paving the way for a more resilient and efficient industry landscape. 

RMIS is committed to keeping stakeholders abreast of developments throughout this process, and updates will be shared on the various RMIS information channels:

• Facebook: Red Meat Industry Services
• LinkedIn: Red Meat Industry Services 
• ‎Follow the RMIS - Red Meat Industry Services channel on WhatsApp