With the December holidays upon us and braai season in full swing, South African consumers are feeling the strain of sharply higher meat prices at the tills. Meat inflation has climbed to its highest level in almost eight years, driven largely by disruptions caused by foot-and-mouth disease and tighter supplies. Thami Ngubeni spoke to Paul Makube, Senior Agricultural Economist at FNB, about what’s behind these increases, what government’s new disease-control plan means for the sector, and when consumers might finally see some relief.