Agriculture was promoted in the first 100 days, by:

• Opening the Clanwilliam Agricultural School
• Pursuing an export agreement with the European Union

Agricultural training became more accessible to the people of the West Coast region with the opening of the Clanwilliam Agricultural School on Friday 6 August 2004. The school, a satellite campus of the Cape Institute for Agricultural Training: Elsenburg, is specifically designed for farm workers and under-resourced farmers in the area.

Satellite campuses take agricultural training to people who need it most. Many resource-poor farmers and farm workers in rural areas find it difficult to attend courses at the main campus in Stellenbosch, so satellite campuses are being opened as part of the empowerment programme of the provincial Department of Agriculture. The first satellite campus was opened in George in 2003, and courses have also been offered in Oudtshoorn.

Around 48 short courses in subjects like Agricultural and Financial Management, Life Skills, Vegetable Production, Fruit production, Viticulture, Animal production (large stock, small stock and poultry) and Agricultural Engineering are offered by the Cape Institute.

Opening of the Clanwilliam Agricultural School, Friday 6 August 2004.

The Premier of the Western Cape, Mr Ebrahim Rasool, accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture, Cobus Dowry, opened the school at the Augsburg Gymnasium in Clanwilliam, meeting a promise made by the Premier for his first 100 days in office.

It was also hoped that within the first 100 days an agricultural export agreement for the export of bone-in lamb could be signed with the European Union (EU).

This had been set in place through the signing of a protocol with the EU for the registration of sheep farms and the subsequent accreditation of a number of farms. The abattoir in Swellendam has also been approved for exports to the EU.

The EU wished to inspect and approve the export system themselves before signing the agreement and were scheduled to do so in June 2004.

However, the National Department of Agriculture postponed the visit of the EU to the accredited farms in the Karoo, as they do not have sufficient capacity to handle the current outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Limpopo and of avian flu among ostriches in the Karoo at the same time as a visit from the EU.

The Provincial Department of Agriculture will continue to support developments toward the signing of the agreement, which is likely to be a boon to Karoo farmers.