The beef industry in southern Africa has been a stalwart of economic development, but new conditions of trade, market access and disease dynamics, particularly of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), mean a major rethink is required. Our research addresses key policy options to allow southern Africa to benefit from the global ‘livestock revolution’. It explores what options exist for trade, given changes in demand patterns, global competition and market access conditions, and asks who are the winners and losers of different scenarios for the future.

From the colonial era until two decades after independence, large-scale cattle ranching formed the backbone of the commercial livestock industry in Zimbabwe. The enterprise was so successful that Zimbabwe became a beef export leader in the SADC region, with access to high value markets in the EU and elsewhere in Europe, as well as in the SADC region.

This is one of a series of briefings on our Veterinary Science project.