Event News

The awards underscore the essential role butchers play in providing high quality products, while maintaining traditional skills and forward-thinking practices. (Image source: Best Business Cleaver Awards)

The 20th Annual Best Business Cleaver Awards was held from 23-25 October, recognising the most distinguished butchers across South Africa 

This prestigious event brought together industry leaders, business owners, and esteemed guests from across the country, marking two decades of celebrating the nation's top talent in the meat industry. It also saw some of South Africa’s finest butchers receive the coveted Titans Trophy, a symbol of their status as the 'Best of the Best.'

With over 110 years of experience in supplying superior products and equipment for the meat and food industry, Crown National which was proudly announced as the headline sponsor marked a significant milestone for the awards. Their expertise and reputation for quality make them the perfect partner in recognising and supporting the country’s top butchers.

The awards serve as a hallmark of excellence, showcasing those in the industry who have achieved the highest levels of craftsmanship, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. This year’s winners were recognised for their dedication to maintaining the highest quality standards and their ability to adapt to changing market demands. Recipients of this year's Titans Trophy not only represent the pinnacle of South African butchery but also continue to set new standards for service and innovation.

“We are proud to continue celebrating and honouring those who contribute to the strength of South Africa’s butchery industry and serve their customers with excellence,” said Ryan Read, founder of the Best Business Cleaver Awards.

Senegal was chosen due to its ambitious 2050 Vision, forward-looking agricultural policies. (Image source:

Senegal has been chosen as the host country for the world-class Africa Food Systems (AFS) Forum 2025 Summit

After a robust three-month rigorous process, Senegal was chosen among other strong candidate for its forward-looking agri food systems, ambitious 2050 Vision led by the new young leadership, commitment to sustainable food systems transformation that align with the Forum’s mission, the countryworld class event infrastructures, stability and security.  

The country's ambitious 2050 Vision, highlightsits leadership capacity and political will to spearhead agri-food systems transformation not only in Senegal but across Africa. The 2025 Summit is expected to further Senegal’s influence in shaping the future of Africa’s food systems and to inspire new partnerships and investment initiatives across the continent.

Dr Mabouba Diagne, Minister for Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Livestock of the Republic of Senegal said that hosting the AFS Forum 2025 Summit is an honour and a powerful endorsement of the nation’s commitment to sustainable agri-food systems. Amath Pathé Sene, managing director of AFS, emphasised the importance of the annual summit for accelerating progress and driving impactful changes. Dr Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA and Co-Chair AFSF Partners Group congratulated Senegal on the selection.

“Our 2050 Vision is centred on building productive, resilient and competitive agrifood systems that not only ensure food and nutrition security for our people but also position Senegal as a leader in agri- food systems innovation on the continent," said Dr Diagne. "Through this vision, we aim to empower smallholder farmers, enhance value chains, and drive sustainable practices that address climate challenges and drive economic growth and markets development through the African Continental Free Trade Area."

The 2025 summit in Senegal is expected to address pressing issues in African agriculture and food systems, with a focus on enabling country Legacy Programmes, supporting MSME growth in the food sector, and promoting strategic partnerships that drive investments, forging the continent agenda.

"We are confident that this platform and year-round activities will help us in delivering our new flagships program such our Municipal Agricultural Cooperatives, drive investments in ouragri food systems policies, insights and collaborations formed in Dakar will leave a lasting impact on food security and sustainability across the continent, paving the way for a prosperous and food-secure Africa,” Dr Diagne added.

IPM ESSEN 2025 is expanding its visitor services with the 'IPM Express' so that gardeners in particular can take advantage of the extensive range of offers at IPM ESSEN. (Image source: IPM ESSEN)

World's leading trade fair for horticulture, IPM ESSEN will provide a preview of what the green sector can expect in the coming year

Scheduled to take place from 28-31 January 2025, exhibitors from around 50 countries will present their innovative products and services in the fields of plants, technology, floristry and garden features at Messe Essen. The event will put together a cutting-edge supporting programme with many new events and services for the next edition – including in the young plant and tree nursery sectors.

Most of the exhibitors belong to the plant sector, as no other trade fair has such a large and extensive range as IPM ESSEN. A new feature is the Gardeners Forum in Hall 2 as the central point of contact for horticultural producers. Experts from the industry will give specialist presentations, hold panel discussions on current topics relating to young plants and exchange ideas with trade visitors on best practices, sustainability, biodiversity, trends and plant innovations. Meet & Greets with personalities from the industry and politics are also planned every morning. A fixed starting point for guided tours to participating exhibitors is from the young plant sector. 

IPM ESSEN 2025 is expanding its visitor services with the 'IPM Express' so that gardeners in particular can take advantage of the extensive range of offers at IPM ESSEN. From 2025, the Green Cities Award will be presented annually at IPM ESSEN. The award, which has been presented by the European Nurserystock Association (ENA) for the past four years, recognises outstanding projects that promote green and sustainable cities in Europe. 

The nominees from the participating ENA member countries will be presented opposite the stand of Bund deutscher Baumschulen – BdB (Association of German Nurseries) in Hall 7. The winner will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday of the trade fair. Other established formats will be presented on a larger scale – in some cases at other locations. 

Trade visitors will be able to experience elaborate floral design both in the Fachverband Deutscher Floristen (FDF) World showrooms and live on the large revolving stage, where international florists will be demonstrating their creative craftsmanship. The motto of the 2025 Trade Fair Cup is: 'Boundless blooming community'. From POS concepts to marketing stories, the green stylist will be passing on his expertise for a successful customer approach.

Getting young people interested in horticulture has always been the goal of the green associations at IPM ESSEN. In 2025, the Training Day will be replaced by a new event format for secondary school follow-up classes. Instead of being bundled on one day, IPM ESSEN will now welcome groups of schoolchildren every day to introduce them to the many different green professions.

Attendees explored aspects of best practice breeder, broiler and hatchery management. (Image source: Aviagen East Africa)

Aviagen East Africa has welcomed poultry professionals from countries across East Africa to the ‘Aviagen East Africa Training Module’ in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Here attendees from Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania, were invited to explore aspects of best practice breeder, broiler and hatchery management and learn how to devise strategies for increased biological output at optimum unit cost.

The platform provided participants with a chance to connect with like-minded poultry professionals and interact with experienced Aviagen trainers who shared insights on topics including data handling, uniformity, grading, broiler management, broiler nutrition, egg handlings, and floor egg management.

Teamwork exercises built around case studies were pursued in order to facilitate in-depth discussions, knowledge, idea generation and problem-solving, with certificates awarded for outstanding performance and gifts for impressive contributions.

Expert training

Attendees were also treated to practical sessions led by industry experts. David Bailey, hatchery & general administration manager at Aviagen East Africa, led one such session and labelled the entire week a huge success. He commented, “We had a total of 27 attendees from countries all across the region including Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa and Zambia. This Training Module is of great importance to the East Africa region as it enables us to support local farmers by equipping them with the knowledge to produce well-performing flocks, and achieve the best return on investment. We look forward to our future Training Modules, which we plan to do annually.”

Enthusiasm for the week was matched by participants. “The training provided practical insights into breeder and broiler management, hatchery practices and nutrition, deepening my understanding of production,” said Loveness Kimario, assistant rearing manager, Silverlands. “The interactive sessions allowed for real-world application of the concepts learned throughout the training. This module offered valuable insights and practical skills beneficial to my role, and I look forward to implementing what I have learned.”