Botswana Meat Commission
Encyclopedia
The Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) was established by the newly-independent Botswana
government in 1967 to be solely responsible for the slaughter and marketing of all beef
exports from Botswana.
The BMC co-ordinates the production of beef from a national herd of some two to three million grazing on ranch lands covering much of the country's 580 000 square kilometres. As Botswana's sole exporter of lean beef, particularly to the EU, the BMC has changed from a flat structure to seasonal prices in order to bring the BMC in line with both EU and South Africa
n prices, where most of its beef is sold. Response from the farmers has been encouraging, with increased kills having been reported at all of the three abattoirs.
Facilities at the BMC headquarters in Lobatse have been designed and constructed as a complete and integrated complex of abattoir, canning, tanning and by-products plant to handle a throughput of 8000 cattle and 500 small stock per day. Branch abattoirs are operated in the north-west of the country at Maun
, with a capacity of 100 cattle per day, and in the north-east at Francistown
with a capacity of 400 cattle and 150 small stock per day.
The BMC owns a marketing subsidiaries in the United Kingdom
, Germany
and the Netherlands
, an insurance company in the Cayman Islands
, cold storage facilities in the United Kingdom and South Africa, and transport companies in Botswana.
Constant monitoring by the Botswana Veterinary Services allows the BMC to maintain its high standard of production. BMC is certified to the ISO 9002 quality system throughout its process. Chilled vacuum-packed beef cuts have a shelf-life of six months provided that the cold chain is maintained at a constant, specified minimum temperature. BMC also produces frozen boneless beef for manufacturing purposes with a two year shelf-life as well as corned beef and other canned beef products for export.
Since establishment in 1967 the BMC Group, besides its core business, has enlarged to include ownership of transport
, property
, cold storage, marketing
and insurance
companies.
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
government in 1967 to be solely responsible for the slaughter and marketing of all beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
exports from Botswana.
The BMC co-ordinates the production of beef from a national herd of some two to three million grazing on ranch lands covering much of the country's 580 000 square kilometres. As Botswana's sole exporter of lean beef, particularly to the EU, the BMC has changed from a flat structure to seasonal prices in order to bring the BMC in line with both EU and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n prices, where most of its beef is sold. Response from the farmers has been encouraging, with increased kills having been reported at all of the three abattoirs.
Facilities at the BMC headquarters in Lobatse have been designed and constructed as a complete and integrated complex of abattoir, canning, tanning and by-products plant to handle a throughput of 8000 cattle and 500 small stock per day. Branch abattoirs are operated in the north-west of the country at Maun
Maun
Maun is the fifth largest town in Botswana. As of 2001, it had a population of 43,776. It is an eclectic mix of modern buildings and native huts. Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland district...
, with a capacity of 100 cattle per day, and in the north-east at Francistown
Francistown
Francistown or Nyangabgwe is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 85,363, and often described as the "Capital of the North". It is located in eastern Botswana, about north-northeast from the capital, Gaborone...
with a capacity of 400 cattle and 150 small stock per day.
The BMC owns a marketing subsidiaries in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, an insurance company in the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
, cold storage facilities in the United Kingdom and South Africa, and transport companies in Botswana.
Constant monitoring by the Botswana Veterinary Services allows the BMC to maintain its high standard of production. BMC is certified to the ISO 9002 quality system throughout its process. Chilled vacuum-packed beef cuts have a shelf-life of six months provided that the cold chain is maintained at a constant, specified minimum temperature. BMC also produces frozen boneless beef for manufacturing purposes with a two year shelf-life as well as corned beef and other canned beef products for export.
Since establishment in 1967 the BMC Group, besides its core business, has enlarged to include ownership of transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
, property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
, cold storage, marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
and insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
companies.