17/07/2026
WHO IS REALLY THE FARMER?
Our experience shows that a growing number of livestock owners keep their animals in rural areas while living or working elsewhere, particularly in larger towns and cities. Some are able to return home over weekends to inspect their livestock, giving them an opportunity to maintain as much oversight as circumstances allow.
However, successful livestock farming requires daily attention. Animals must be monitored continuously, changes in their health and behaviour identified early, and appropriate decisions taken at the right time. This makes it essential for an absent farmer to have a trustworthy and capable assistant or herder who understands the responsibility involved in caring for livestock.
But the question remains: who is really the farmer?
Employing a herder does not transfer the owner’s ultimate responsibility. The livestock belongs to you. The money invested is yours, the expected income is yours—and any losses will also be yours. A herder may assist with daily care, but the owner must remain responsible for the important decisions affecting the health, productivity and management of the herd or flock.
Farmers must also exercise proper care when choosing the people to whom they entrust their livestock, homes and, in some cases, even members of their families. In some communal areas, many herders are foreign nationals, including people from Lesotho. However, a person’s nationality is neither proof of trustworthiness nor evidence of wrongdoing—just as it is not proof of livestock-management expertise.
What matters is that farmers properly verify anyone they employ: who the person is, where they come from, whether they have the necessary documentation, why they are seeking employment, what experience they have, and who can provide reliable references regarding their character and work. These precautions should apply to every prospective employee, whether South African or foreign.
There have been reports in some communal areas of the Eastern Cape, of stock theft, abuse and violence involving individuals who were placed in positions of trust without being properly vetted. This does not mean that every foreign national poses a risk. It simply reminds us that no unknown person should be given unrestricted responsibility for our livestock, homes or families without appropriate background checks, reliable references and clearly defined working arrangements.
There is another equally serious risk: assuming that someone is skilled in livestock care merely because of where they come from or because they appear confident and experienced. Knowledge and competence must be verified, not presumed. A herder may be able to identify an animal that appears unwell or carry out routine daily duties, but this does not necessarily qualify that person to make technical decisions concerning medicines, vaccination, nutrition, breeding or treatment.
Those decisions must remain under the farmer’s control and, where necessary, be taken in consultation with appropriately trained and authorised animal-health professionals.
If we regard our livestock as a business, we must have clear plans, measurable objectives and reliable ways of monitoring performance. The herder’s role is to help us implement those plans—not to replace the farmer. At the same time, farmers must treat their workers with respect, give them clear instructions, provide appropriate training, and ensure lawful and fair working conditions.
Farmers should also avoid becoming completely dependent on herders. We must continue exploring more reliable ways of closing the management gap created by living away from our livestock. These may include involving trusted relatives or neighbours in oversight, making regular planned visits, maintaining daily records, requesting photographs or videos, and ensuring that a second trusted person can independently check on the livestock when necessary.
The assistance we receive must support our STRATEGIC FARMING objectives while protecting our livestock, businesses and families. A herder can be the farmer’s eyes and hands on the ground—but can never replace the owner’s responsibility, knowledge and oversight.
The livestock is yours. The investment is yours. The decisions are yours—and so are the results. A herder may be your eyes and hands on the ground, but cannot replace your responsibility, knowledge and oversight. Remain the farmer.
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