BUSINESS
ER rabbitry will buy your production
I
n a quest to ensure that
South Africans can enjoy
affordable protein in their
diets as the cost of food soars,
an East Rand smallholder has
devised an innovative rabbit
breeding scheme that can be
adapted to the needs of a
hobbyist or single family, a
part time farmer or a full-scale
commercial grower.
Rabbit grower Tony
Casamassa and his wife
Veronica, known in the
industry as The Rabbit Lady,
have established a full-scale
rabbitry on their Rietkol
smallholding using their own
cross-bred strain of animal,
developed for hardiness and
meat production. They have
spent a number of years
crossing three well-known
breeds, namely New Zealand
White, New Zealand Red and
Californian White, to produce
a rabbit that suits their needs.
And in a process of trial and
error they have developed a
system of cages, feeders and
drinkers which they believe
offers an optimal environment
for the rabbits, and ease of
operation and maintenance
for the rabbit keeper.
Thus, buying into their
system, a small hobbyist or
family grower will receive
sufficient cages and ancillary
equipment, as well as
breeding stock, and support
and advice, to ensure an ongoing supply of rabbit meat
for the immediate family, as
well as for supplying neighbours and friends.
Scaling the system up, a
smallholder looking for some
extra income would receive a
greater number of cages,
equipment and breeding
stock, and would thus be in a
position to supply slaughtered
rabbits or slaughter-weight
live rabbits on a small
commercial scale.
But, one of the bugbears of
any small agricultural
enterprise is marketing and
selling the produce, and
rabbit meat is still a novelty in
the average South African
diet, so disposing of the meat
at a reasonable profit can be
a challenge. So many
potential rabbit-growers are
Continued on page 11
Weldmesh cages in tiers. Note corrugated iron sluice for droppings
and urine
8
www.sasmallholder.co.za