Chairperson, I hereby give notice on behalf of Cope that at the next sitting of the Council I shall move:
That the Council -
1) notes the ongoing lack of a clear and detailed agricultural policy, which has continued to fuel uncertainty and is translating into disinvestment in agriculture;
2) further notes that as a result of this blatant failure by the department, the number of commercial farmers has drastically declined from 128 000 in 1980 to 40 000 today;
3) acknowledges that at this rate commercial enterprises in our country will decline to 15 000 by 2025, thus posing a major threat to both employment and food security; and
4) calls on government to recognise the enormous danger to South Africa's economy and the welfare of the nation in continuing to handle agriculture in this lax and careless manner.