BY PHESHEYA KUNENE – EDITOR
EZULWINI – Eswatini is moving to introduce a national meat grading and classification standard aimed at correcting pricing distortions, improving food safety compliance and strengthening the country’s position in regional and export markets.
The initiative, led by the Eswatini Standards Authority with support from the International Trade Centre, is being developed through a Technical Committee on Meat and Meat Products involving regulators, industry players and farmer organisations.
Standards Development Officer Milagrosa Mondlane said the absence of a harmonised national framework has resulted in inconsistent pricing, weak quality incentives and reduced market efficiency across the livestock value chain.
She said the new standard will introduce uniform criteria for carcass classification and grading, addressing gaps that have long affected producers, abattoirs and traders operating without a common benchmark.
“The development of this standard is a critical step toward strengthening the sector. It will promote fair and transparent pricing, improve compliance with food safety requirements and build consumer confidence,” she said.
The process brings together stakeholders including the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Eswatini Meat Industries, the Municipal Council of Mbabane, the Eswatini Competition Commission, UNESWA and private sector operators.
From a policy perspective, the move aligns with broader efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture to modernise the livestock sector and improve its contribution to GDP, employment and export earnings. Livestock remains a critical pillar of Eswatini’s rural economy, supporting thousands of households through beef production, feedlot operations and informal trade.
However, the sector has been constrained by structural inefficiencies. Without standardised grading, pricing has often been subjective, limiting farmers’ ability to negotiate value based on quality and reducing incentives to invest in improved genetics, feed and animal health.
Tammy Dlamini, Chief Executive Officer of the Eswatini National Agricultural Union, said farmers have long operated at a disadvantage due to the absence of a transparent grading framework.
“We have been selling into a system where quality is not always rewarded consistently. A national grading standard will bring fairness and predictability, allowing farmers to invest with confidence knowing that better production will translate into better prices,” he said.
Livestock and feedlot farmer Phetsile Sithole from Manzini said the initiative could transform on-farm decision-making and profitability.
“As farmers, we need a system that recognises the work we put into improving our herds. If grading is standardised, it means better planning, better feeding strategies and ultimately better returns. That is how we grow the sector,” she said.
Industry data shows that Eswatini’s beef exports, primarily destined for regional and European Union markets, depend heavily on compliance with strict quality and traceability standards. Export-certified abattoirs already apply grading systems based on carcass maturity, fat cover and conformation, but these standards have not been uniformly applied across the domestic market.
Eswatini Meat Industries, trading as Embiveni Meats, remains a key player in this space, having recently been recognised as Product of the Year (Large Enterprise) at the Eswatini Quality Awards. The company’s compliance with high safety and quality standards highlights the potential for scaling value-added meat production under a harmonised national framework.
Analytically, the introduction of a national grading system is expected to reduce market fragmentation between formal and informal channels. It will also support price discovery mechanisms, enabling differentiation between high-quality and lower-grade meat, which is critical for both domestic consumption and export positioning.
The Ministry of Agriculture has indicated that strengthening value chains, including livestock, is central to reducing import dependency and increasing export earnings. While Eswatini produces significant volumes of beef, the country still imports processed meat products, reflecting gaps in local value addition and processing capacity.
The new standard is expected to address these gaps by improving quality assurance and enabling local producers to compete more effectively with imports. It also complements ongoing interventions such as the Eswatini Livestock Value Chain Development Programme, which focuses on improving genetics, feed efficiency and production systems.
In addition, the framework comes at a time when the sector is under pressure from animal health challenges, including Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), which has affected market access and trade flows. Standardisation is expected to strengthen compliance and traceability, key requirements for maintaining export markets.
Mondlane said the current phase of the process is limited to technical stakeholders, with a public consultation to follow. ESWASA will issue a 60-day notice inviting comments before the standard is finalised and gazetted.
Once implemented, the grading system is expected to improve income predictability for farmers, enhance consumer protection and position Eswatini’s meat industry for growth in both regional and international markets.
The effectiveness of the reform will depend on enforcement, industry uptake and alignment with international standards, but it signals a shift toward a more structured, transparent and competitive livestock sector.
