August 2022

The example below looks at a hypothetical producer with a farm and a packhouse growing and packing table grapes and citrus for export to North America, the UK, and Europe. Through the equivalence and benchmarks provided by SIZA, this producer has an estimated saving of R44 160 per year related to compliance costs.

The 2022 Budget proposal announced early in 2022 resulted in a proposal for Phase 2 of the Carbon Tax roll-out in South Africa to be delayed – it proposed that Phase 2 of the Carbon Tax be delayed by three years and become effective on 31 December 2025.

Producers can freely access all the relevant legislation promulgated by government, along with the applicable international legislation that applies to their compliance, on the SIZA website.

The provision of accommodation for permanent and seasonal employees is a common phenomenon within the South African agricultural industry, even though there is no legal duty or requirement for the producer to do so.

Both the SIZA Social and Environmental Standards were developed in line with local legislation, however seeing that the SIZA primary members (South African suppliers) do business across country borders, the standards are measured against global requirements such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles, European Union Green Deal, etc.

A compressed work week allows an employer to proactively have employees work longer hours than the regular agreed-upon hours in a situation where this is warranted, without paying overtime.

Invasive Alien Plants (IAPs) have invaded large areas of South Africa, resulting in numerous negative impacts on indigenous biodiversity and local ecosystems.

Alistair Galloway has long been passionate about environmental sustainability and has secured an MSc in Conservation Ecology from Stellenbosch University. His MSc project was his first step into the sustainable agriculture realm, where he did his research on citrus orchards within the Sundays River Valley, Eastern Cape. He has experience in the sustainable agriculture industry… Continue reading Meet the SIZA Environmental Technical team

Looking at the 92 SIZA members that have already completed their 3rd party audit, the following non-conformances per category dominated the non-compliances that were raised over the last three months.

Commercial agriculture has grown and developed over the past few decades to meet the ever-growing demand for food worldwide. The increase in demand has led to the implementation of intensive agricultural practices that can be environmentally damaging.