Voermol Feeds team steps up to keep vital animal feed moving during sugar industry strike.
Voermol Feeds welcomes the resolution of the recent industrial action within South Africa’s sugar industry, which severely impacted production, stock availability in the market and the company’s ability to fully service its customers.
With the strike now resolved and fresh supplies from the mill becoming available, Voermol Feeds is preparing to resume full production, rebuild stock levels and continue supplying the quality animal nutrition products on which its customers depend.
Despite these challenges, the support of Voermol’s non-bargaining employees and sales team enabled the company to maintain production at approximately 25% of normal capacity, with a focus on producing the products and specialised mixes most critical to the market.
With cattle and sheep fattening products particularly critical to livestock producers, the team worked together across the operation to keep production and distribution moving. Their efforts included unloading raw materials, running production lines, sewing bags and loading trucks with blocks, meals and liquid feed products.
While recognising and respecting the right of sugar industry workers to strike, and with the hope that the matter would be resolved through the industry bargaining process, Voermol’s team remained focused on supporting the farmers who rely on its products.
For Voermol, this commitment is summed up in a simple philosophy: “We do it for the Farmers.“
According to Pieter Visagie, Managing Director of Voermol Feeds, this commitment has been at the heart of the business since its inception.
“Voermol has been an enduringly successful company and was recently once again awarded the Diamond PMR.africa award as the Leading Livestock Feed Supplier in South Africa.”
“This is what we are deeply passionate about. It is what sustains our commitment over time and drives our
determination to develop a range of products that have repeatedly proven their value in the field.”
For those who stepped onto the factory floor, the experience demonstrated another defining characteristic of the Voermol culture: teamwork.
Ockert van der Merwe, Southern Region Sales Manager, said the level of collaboration among employees was what stood out most.
“Teamwork. I have never worked at a company where people come together like this. It is great to work with people like this. Even the Operations Manager was on the truck loading 50 kg bags, and the HC Manager showed us how to sew the bags better.”
Heinrich Victor, Northern Region Sales Manager, was equally impressed by the attitude of the team.
“Despite being totally exhausted, covered in sweat and grime, there were no complaints – just smiles and joking. After work, once showered, they were ready to go again. Everyone brought something to the grind.”
Heinrich said that when he asked members of the team to assist with strike relief duties, the response was immediate. “Within an hour, I received a message: ‘We’re in.'”
For Kevin Visagie, SHE Specialist, the physical demands of the work provided a new appreciation for the effort involved in keeping production moving.
“The work is exhausting. I have been moving bags and working muscles that I am not used to using. When I get home, I eat and sleep. Now I am back for more.”
Sales Agent Jeremy Bosman summed up the motivation behind the team’s efforts simply: “It is a sense of doing something meaningful. We do it for the farmers.”
“The experience has also demonstrated the strength of the relationships within the Voermol team. Employees from different areas of the business worked side by side, taking on unfamiliar roles, learning from one another and supporting a shared objective,” according to CT du Plessis, National Sales Manager.
More than simply keeping product moving, the experience reinforced what Voermol describes as its “Voermol essence” – a deep commitment to supporting farmers and delivering value where it matters most.
When circumstances challenged the normal way of doing things, Voermol employees stepped forward, rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
Because at Voermol, we do it for the Farmers.
Source: Landbou.com
Entries for the Best of the Best National Cattle and Sheep Farmer of the Year 2026 competition are now open. Commercial farmers from across South Africa are invited to enter, while industry stakeholders are encouraged to nominate deserving farmers for this prestigious competition.
Entries close on 31 August 2026.
To enter, click on the appropriate link below and complete the entry form. (Please ensure you scroll down within the form to view and complete all the questions.)
This prestigious competition celebrates the resilience, success, and innovation of South African livestock farmers. Over the years, it has earned a reputation as one of the country’s most respected agricultural awards, thanks to the calibre of its participants and the credibility of the judging process.
The competition is proudly sponsored by BKB, FNB, Landbouweekblad, Voermol, and Zoetis. The RPO (Red Meat Producers’ Organisation) and NWKV (National Wool Growers’ Association) are official collaborators of the competition.
Nominations and entries are welcomed from across South Africa. A panel of industry experts carefully reviews all submissions and selects three finalists in both the cattle and sheep categories. The judges then visit each finalist’s farm, giving them the opportunity to assess the farming operation firsthand and engage directly with the farmers.
The winners are announced at a prestigious awards ceremony. All six finalists receive valuable exposure through Landbouweekblad, Landbou.com, and Landbouweekblad’s extensive social media platforms.
Competition Requirements
To qualify, candidates must meet the following criteria:
Pieter Visagie has taken over the reins as managing director of Voermol Feeds, effective 1 February 2026.
With more than 20 years of experience in the agricultural sector, Visagie brings extensive practical expertise to the table, ranging from cattle production to feed milling operations across Southern Africa. This experience, combined with his proven ability to strengthen teams and deliver results, makes him ideally suited to guide Voermol Feeds forward.
Throughout his career, Visagie has focused on streamlining operations, stabilising performance during tough times, and growing businesses sustainably. He has a strong track record of boosting profitability, building financial stability, and investing in people to create lasting resilience.
International Experience
Most recently, as managing director of Aller Aqua Zambia, he led a remarkable turnaround at Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest and most advanced fish feed manufacturing company, delivering real improvements in efficiency, output, and team morale.
“I am genuinely excited to step into this role at Voermol Feeds,” Visagie said. “It is a brand that farmers have trusted for decades because of its reliable, high-quality products and solid service. My goal is simple: to build on that strong foundation, sharpen performance across the board, and create even more value for farmers, our team, and every stakeholder who depends on us”
The winners in the National Farmer of the Year competition were announced during the Best of the Best evening function on the 12 November in Muldersdrift, Gauteng.
Congratulations to these producers on your incredible achievements. To read the full article, click here.
The winners in the National Farmer of the Year competition were announced during the Best of the Best evening function on the 13 November at Avianto in Muldersdrift.
Congratulations to these producers on your incredible achievements.
Shelley Cornish, Voermol Feeds
On Thursday, 4 April 2019, we were saddened by the news that Joan Boyes, who we had met just a few months prior, had passed away at the age of 92. In December 2018 Joan and her son Duncan, joined us for tea at the Voermol Executive Office in Maidstone, Kwa Zulu-Natal. Both Joan and her late husband, Peter Boyes, played a pivotal role in the establishment of Voermol Feeds. Joan, the author of two novels since the age of 90, very quickly won our admiration for her energy, astuteness and ‘joie de vivre’. During the visit, Joan and Duncan reminisced about the years when Peter had worked as an engineer for the Tongaat Sugar Company.
‘The Birth of a Bull Calf’
Up until 1958 the removal of molasses was a problem for the Company. The vision was that animal feeds could be manufactured from molasses and bagasse, both by-products of the Tongaat Sugar Mill. In 1958, Peter Boyes, an engineer, and Dr. Geoff Cleasby, an agronomist, were given the task of finding a satisfactory solution to the disposal problem. However, molasses was a difficult-to-handle product and the challenge was how to convert it into an animal feed which could be conveniently fed.
Joan told us that Peter and Geoff began experimenting and she was asked to fetch a sausage machine from a butcher in Tongaat. It is now part of Voermol’s history that in 1958 the first product, based on a combination of molasses and bagasse, was produced using that sausage machine. The mixture was given to a few farmer friends to feed their stock, who ate it readily!
By 1962 the process was sufficiently advanced to allow for the construction of a pilot plant behind the sugar mill bagasse shed. The management of the Tongaat Sugar Company decided to found a new company to produce and market the animal feeds being developed. The incorporation took place at a Board Meeting held on 4 August 1962. Present were Messrs C J Saunders (chairman), A D Hankinson, G A Ellis, J P H Bentley and R B Thompson (secretary), with Peter Boyes and Geoff Cleasby as managers. A new company was formed called “The Moreland Molasses Company”. At the time Mr. Douglas Saunders, chairman of the Tongaat Sugar Company, who had shown a keen personal interest in the fledgling feed company, announced that “Tongaat’s bull calf had been born”. The new company’s name was later changed to “Voermol Products Ltd.”, then to “Tongaat Milling (Pty) Ltd.” and finally to “Voermol Feeds/Voere”.
By the end of January 1962, the first bags of Voermol Meal came off the production line. Peter Boyes, was the first manager of the company, a position he held until September 1979 when he retired as managing director. On 27 April 1990 a contract was signed for the design, manufacture and supply of a new production facility for Voermol Feeds. At the end of January 1991, Voermol Meal, a forerunner of all the present molasses-based feeds, was produced in the new factory.
Voermol Feeds became the first company in Africa and possibly the world, to successfully commercialise a combination of molasses and bagasse. Molasses is not only a good source of energy, with vitamin B and trace minerals, but it is also very palatable and a good binder; thereby reducing dustiness of the feed. With the result, livestock are more likely to get a balanced intake, as they are less likely to feed selectively. Today, Voermol offers a wide range of products that are scientifically formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of ruminants, during various production stages and on all types of grazing.
After the visit to Voermol Feeds, Duncan sent a message thanking us for the hospitality shown ‘to an old lady’ and for ‘making her year complete’ – Joan’s words. Both Joan and Peter Boyes will be remembered for their meaningful contribution to the establishment of Voermol Feeds. We express our heartfelt condolences to the family.
Mrs Joan Boyes (late) and her son, Duncan Boyes (right),
enjoying tea at Voermol’s Executive Office in Maidstone.
Mrs Joan Boyes (late) and her son, Duncan Boyes (left), in front of a picture of Joan’s late husband,
Mr Peter Boyes and the sausage machine.
