20 MAY 2020: WILDLIFE INDUSTRY MEETING WITH MINISTER CREECY // WILDBEDRYF VERGADERING MET MINISTER CREECY, 20 MEI 2020 - WRSA
20 MAY 2020: WILDLIFE INDUSTRY…
Good day All, [Lees Afrikaans hier onder]
I’m extremely excited to share this message with you today, which I have also shared via a voice note to members earlier today on WhatsApp.
Over the past two days, the South African wildlife industry did some amazing work. Eleven organisations within the wildlife industry had a virtual meeting on Monday afternoon, to discuss issues of importance or concern which we agreed to raise with the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Minister Barbara Creecy, during a virtual meeting with her which took place yesterday, Tuesday afternoon.
At the meeting with the Minister, the DDG and a Director of Environmental Affairs shared some details with us about the provisions as contained in the Alert Level 4 Directions for the Biodiversity Sector.
Just a note, if you haven’t seen it yet, a copy of the Directions as well as a summary, is available on the WRSA website.
Minister Creecy then addressed us.
She shared her understanding about frustrations and concerns about economic losses with us. She acknowledged that there are indeed still areas which are very restrictive, but she also ensured us that they are trying to speed up the Level 3 process.
Minister Creecy also gave us something to hold on to: The Differentiated Approach, as referred to by President Ramaphosa in his address a while ago. After listening to her and participating in the hour and a half meeting with her, I realised that is certainly something that we can hold on to (the Differentiated Approach) as it might create some opportunities for our sector sooner than later.
And yes, you might think … Ah, just another politician talking.
I want to give you the assurance today. Not one person or one organisation who participated in the meeting, left negatively. We were all very positive about the Minister’s view on the importance of speeding up the process, and especially her understanding of our urgent request to open up hunting, and I’m referring to subsistence hunting.
WRSA is certainly proud to have been part of this amazing team effort in the wildlife industry.
The industry thanked the Minister for her and her department’s efforts thus far and for everything within wildlife management that was already included in Alert Level 4, including culling, catching & capturing, transporting across provincial borders, auctions, etc.
However, we also told the Minister, of our industry’s huge disappointment that hunting (subsistence hunting) is not allowed in Level 4.
We also told her that it would most probably be our biggest request for level three: for subsistence hunting to be allowed, understandably under strict health & safety measures.
The industry representatives who participated in the meeting, all had an opportunity to raise some of the issues we identified as a collective in our meeting the day before. These, included amongst others:
– Important information about the impact of the wildlife industry on the rural economies;
–The importance of problem animal control, and even the effect it has on food security, when one considers pigeons in crop fields, guineafowl, feral pigs, etc.;
– We also touched on welfare feeding schemes; not only for the needy but also the current lack of carcasses for vulture restaurants;
– We, WRSA, touched on the restrictions under Level 4 to introduce new species to a game farm, the current hold-up with brucella and corridor disease tests and the fact that live animals, carcasses and game meat can only be transported as cargo and we were glad to hear that the Department will apply for an amendment to have the transport issue relaxed.
Other organisations addressed many of the other issues we identified the day before, including issues pertaining to professional hunting, taxidermy, a communication strategy for the national wildlife forum, and the nurseries which were negatively effected by stipulations in the Directions, which the Department will now also urgently address.
It was an hour and a half meeting, with quite a lot of things discussed.
At the end, the Minister reminded us to review the Directions again and consider all the measures already in place for the wildlife industry in terms of Level 4, and make use of that.
On that point, I want to remind you all of the Permit to perform permitted/essential services, which was published with the Directions. Since lockdown, WRSA has already assisted hundreds of our members with permits. Now the wildlife industry has its own biodiversity sector permits. Just give us a call and we will assist you.
The 11 participating organisations included us (as Wildlife Ranching South Africa), the African Game Ranchers Association, SA Predators Association, CHASA, SA Hunters & Game Conservation Association, Natshoot, PHASA, CPHC-SA, Wildlife Translocators, SA Taxidermy and Tannery Association and also the SA Nurseries Association.
So on that positive note, I hope to have even better news within a week or so when we hopefully will have a better idea of what Alert Level 3 might hold for the South African wildlife industry!
Ek is werklik opgewonde om vandag hierdie boodskap aan u te kan stuur, wat ek ook vanoggend as ‘n stemboodskap via WhatsApp na ons lede gestuur het.
Die afgelope twee dae het die Suid-Afrikaanse wildbedryf ongelooflike werk gedoen. Elf Organisasies het Maandagmiddag ontmoet, natuurlik tydens ‘n virtuele vergadering, om belangrike kwessies te bespreek om gister met die minister van omgewingsake, minister Barbara Creecy, tydens ‘n virtuele vergadering met haar op te neem. Tydens hierdie vergadering het die adjunk-direkteur-generaal en ‘n direkteur van omgewingsake ‘n paar besonderhede met ons gedeel oor die bepalings wat in die Vlak 4-direktiewe vir die biodiversiteitsektor vervat is.
Net ‘n nota: As u dié direktiewe nog nie gesien het nie, is ‘n kopie daarvan asook ‘n opsomming op WRSA se webwerf beskikbaar.
Minister Creecy het ons toe toegespreek tydens die vergadering.
En sy het haar begrip van die frustrasies en kommer oor ekonomiese verliese met ons gedeel.
Sy het erken dat daar inderdaad steeds areas is wat nog baie beperkend is, maar sy het ons ook verseker dat hulle wel die vlak 3-proses probeer bespoedig.
Minister Creecy het ons ook iets gegee om aan vas te hou: die Gedifferensieerde Benadering waarna president Ramaphosa ‘n ruk gelede in sy toespraak verwys het. Nadat ek na haar geluister en aan die uur en ‘n half lange ontmoeting met haar deelgeneem het, het ek besef dat dit beslis iets is waaraan ons kan vashou (die Gedifferensieerde Benadering), aangesien dit dalk eerder gouer as later, vir ons sektor ‘n paar geleenthede kan skep.
En ja, miskien dink u nou: Ag net nog ‘n politikus wat praat.
Ek wil u vandag die versekering gee: Nie een persoon of een organisasie het negatief van die vergadering weggegaan nie. Ons was almal baie positief oor die minister se siening oor die belangrikheid van die bespoediging van die proses en veral haar begrip vir ons dringende versoek om jag oop te stel; en hier verwys ek na benuttingsjag.
WRSA is werklik trots om deel te kon wees van hierdie ongelooflike spanpoging in die wildbedryf.
Die bedryf het die minister bedank vir haar en haar departement se pogings tot dusver en vir alles wat reeds in Vlak 4 ingesluit is soos byvoorbeeld uitdunning, vang van wild en vervoer oor provinsiale grense heen, veilings, ens.
Ons het egter ook die minister ingelig oor ons bedryf se groot teleurstelling dat jag, benuttingsjag, nie gedurende Vlak 4 toegelaat is nie.
En ons het haar meegedeel dat ons grootste versoek vir Vlak 3 sal wees om benuttingsjag toe te laat, natuurlik onder streng gesondheids- en veiligheidsmaatreëls.
Die verteenwoordigers van die bedryf wat aan die vergadering deelgeneem het, het almal die geleentheid gehad om enkele van die kwessies wat ons die vorige dag gesamentlik geïdentifiseer het, tydens die vergadering met die Minister te bespreek. Dit sluit onder meer in:
Belangrike inligting oor die impak van die wildbedryf op die landelike ekonomieë;
Die belangrikheid van probleemdierbeheer en selfs die effek wat dit het op voedselsekerheid wanneer ons duiwe in die oeslande, tarentale, wilde varke, ens. in aanmerking neem;
Ons het ook aandag gegee aan welsynsvoedingskemas; nie net vir die behoeftiges nie, maar ook vir die huidige gebrek aan karkasse vir aasvoëlrestaurante.
Ons, WRSA, het die beperkings onder Vlak 4 bespreek om nuwe spesies na ‘n wildsplaas te bring, die huidige oponthoud van toetse vir brucella en korridorsiekte en die feit dat lewendige diere, karkasse en wildsvleis slegs as vrag vervoer kan word. Ons was bly om te hoor dat die departement gaan aansoek doen vir ‘n wysiging om die beperkings in verband met “vervoer as goedere” te verslap.
Ander organisasies het etlike ander kwessies aangespreek wat ons die vorige dag geïdentifiseer het, insluitend kwessies oor professionele jag, taksidermie, ‘n kommunikasie strategie vir die nasionale wildlewe forum en die kwekerye wat negatief geraak word deur bepalings in die direktiewe wat die departement nou ook dringend sal aanspreek.
Dit was ‘n uur en ‘n half lange vergadering waartydens heelwat sake bespreek is.
Aan die einde het die minister ons daaraan herinner om die direktiewe weer te lees en al die maatreëls wat reeds in plek is vir die wildbedryf in terme van vlak 4 in aanmerking te neem en dit te gebruik.
Op daardie punt wil ek u almal herinner aan die permit om toegelate/essensiële dienste te verrig wat saam met die direktiewe gepubliseer is. Sedert grendeltyd het WRSA reeds honderde van ons lede bygestaan met permitte. Nou het die wildbedryf sy eie biodiversiteitsektor permitte. Skakel ons net en ons sal u daarmee help.
Die organisasies wat aan die gesprekke deelgeneem het was ons (Wildbedryf Suid-Afrika), die African Game Ranchers Association, SA Predators Association, CHASA, SA Hunters & Game Conservation Association, Natshoot, PHASA, CPHC-SA, Wildlife Translocators, SA Taxidermy and Tannery Association asook die SA Nurseries Association.
So, op hierdie positiewe noot, sluit ek vir eers af en hoop om moontlik binne ‘n week of so selfs beter nuus sal hê wanneer ons hopelik ‘n beter idee het van wat Vlak 3 vir die Suid-Afrikaanse wildbedryf kan inhou!
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May 05: Feedback on ministerial directives – hunting and movement of animals