Keeping our environmental footprint to a minimum
As the global impact of greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production becomes more recognised internationally, GHB Farm is committed to the continued improvement of our practices with a view to reducing our environmental footprint.
Working to reduce our environmental footprint.
Our farming practices, across our entire ecosystem, are designed to ensure that efforts are environmentally sustainable and efficient. This includes our feeding, water consumption and product distribution, wastewater management, as well as the contributing efforts of our employees, through the reduction of our impact on water and energy use.
The key environmental and resource policies that we implement, focus on continued improvement of water conservation measures and beneficial reuse of the nutrients present in the biodegradable wastewater generated. Regular assessments are conducted at GHB Farms to ensure that both the water resources used and nutrients generated via the manure produced are sustainably used to positively impact the environment and the quality of our soil, feed, and related processes. The continued and mutually beneficial link between the agronomic components and the piggery allows us to manage processes with precision.
To ensure that our water management systems and wastewater fractions are of the best possible quality, we collaborate with Dr. James Meyer, a specialist in the agricultural field, related specifically to water and wastewater quality. Dr Meyer, a well-respected figure in the pork sector, plays a valuable role in the South African pig farming community, including keeping farmers informed about important water issues.
Dr. Meyer
Dr Meyer commenced with a Water Research Commission project as part of his MSc in Production Physiology in 1990 into water quality guidelines for agriculture, which led to his involvement in developing the South African Water Quality Guidelines in 1993 and 1996 for the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
He was awarded the Stander Most Promising Researcher Award in 1994 by the Water Institute of South Africa, the Water Research Commission and the CSIR.
He obtained his PhD in physiology in 1998 with the development of hazard and risk assessment software support in a multi-institutional programme linking diverse fields from geochemistry to toxicology.
The South African Society for Animal Science awarded him the Bronze medal for his PhD thesis in 2000.
He was responsible for the scientific programme at the 10th World Conference on Animal Production in 2008 and a co-author for the book Game Ranch Management 5th Edition.
Currently he works as a Technical Manager for Virbac South Africa (Pty) Ltd, a veterinary pharmaceutical company, and develops Risk-based Guidelines for Animal Watering for the Water Research Commission, has recently published two reports on Risk-based guidelines for Animal Watering – Meyer, JA, Moodley, P and G Singh 2021, Risk-based and site-specific animal watering water quality guidelines. Volume 1: Decision Support System. Water Research Commission Report No. TT 861/1/21; and Meyer, JA, Moodley, P and G Singh 2021, Development of a Risk-based Approach for Assessing Animal Watering Water Quality Guidelines Volume 2: Technical Support Information. Water Research Commission Report No. TT 861/2/21.
He also serves as a specialist advisor to the Joint Implementation Committee of the South African Pork Producers Organization and the Department of Water and Sanitation.
His main research focus recently has been on endocrine disruption and the health impacts of agricultural chemicals and has published several peer-reviewed scientific articles and numerous contracted scientific publications.
Outside interests include skydiving, having represented South Africa at the Dubai International Parachute Championships in 2010 and the World Cup of Canopy Piloting in 2019. He has served as a non-executive director for the Parachute Association of South Africa and is a current evaluator for the National Safety and Training Officer.