On 9 February 2024, the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRD) published, through the Official Gazette, Statutory Measures for the Registration, Recording and Reporting of Dairy Producers, which will be implemented and administered by the Dairy Producers' Organisation (DPO), a not-for-profit organisation. Key elements:

(1) The Statutory Measure provides for the definition of dairy milk as milk secreted by cattle, goats or sheep;

(2) The measure applies to dairy products intended for domestic sale in South Africa;

(3) All producers of dairy products, including those in exporting countries, shall register with the Dairy Producers Organisation and submit a return once a year within 15 days of 31 October, which shall include the name of the producer, contact details, number of cows and litres of milk produced;

(4) The application for registration shall be made within 30 days of the implementation of the measure or, if the producer becomes a producer after the commencement date of the measure, within 30 days of becoming a producer. The statutory measure shall come into force on the date of its publication and shall be implemented for a period of four years.