Associated Meat Packers (AMP) Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
The business has targeted to sponsor the development of arts and culture in youth. On an annual basis, the business supports the renowned St John’s College pipe band, which is a group of students aged between 12 and 18 years of age who play the pipes and drums at a number of local and international competitions and events. This support has allowed the students to train and hone their musical talents and build a proud legacy that attracts other musically gifted students to the school. Other support under this pillar includes FORZA Bhora, a five-a-side football team, as well as the Hellenic School Charity Golf Day.
The business is committed to support good health and wellbeing for the children at Chinyaradzo Children’s Home located in Highfield Harare. Each month the business donates a minimum of 50 kg of meat to ensure that the children enjoy balanced meals. The home has a number of sustainable projects, one of which is growing greenhouse vegetables to compliment the monthly donations from AMP Group. Vegetables grown in the greenhouse are supplied to the AMP Factory Shop as fresh condiments for the shop’s daily hotdog sales. To celebrate Easter, the AMP staff also spent an afternoon with the children, braaiing meat and entertaining them with games and sporting activities in addition to the Christmas hampers that were provided to the home in December. Other support under this pillar included a once off donation of meat to Abbot Pfanner Children’s Home over the festive season in December 2022. Notable institutions such as the Abbot Choir and Cleveland Pistol Club as well as the Phoenix Choir also received once off meal donations in response to requests for sponsorship sent to the Group.
The business recently commenced its partnership with National Blood Services Zimbabwe (NBSZ). Each term AMP hosts the NBSZ and carries out a blood drive on the premises where staff members and shoppers can freely give lifesaving blood. Cumulatively, 47 donors have given blood since the programme began in December 2022, and the response from employees and community members continues to grow.
Lastly, the business also supports animal welfare and conservation initiatives. Annually the business sponsors Keepnet, an organisation that promotes fish conservation through catch and release in competitive sustainable angling. The Zimnyama division, together with the Department of Veterinary Services, participated in the launch event of the fight against January Disease (theileriosis) to encourage farmers to dip their animals regularly at the reinstituted Government funded communal dip tanks with chemicals to end the tick burden. January Disease is a tick borne disease that affects livestock mainly in the summer rainfall season around January. Locally the disease has become so prevalent that it has developed into an all year-round challenge that affects national beef supplies.
Multilateral Partnerships
Zimnyama partnered with World Vision through the Beef Enterprise Strengthening and Transformation (BEST) Project, a programme funded by the donor community with the aim of strengthening the beef supply chain between the farmers and Private Sector Partners (PSP).
As part of this programme, a number of Cattle Buying Centres (CBCs) have been constructed in strategic cattle farming areas to help improve a farmers’ access to the market for trading livestock. Zimnyama administers two CBCs under the BEST project in Ditito, Mt Darwin District, and Mayo in Makoni located in Mashonaland Central province and Manicaland province respectively. Each of these CBCs has 4 smaller satellite centres, where farmers can also come to sell their cattle before they are transported to the main CBCs and then further onto private sector partners such as the Zimnyama abattoir or feedlot.
The main CBCs in Dotito and Mayo have the following structures and facilities in place:
- Cattle handling facilities that are made up of a raceway with a weighing platform as well as holding pens for the purpose of buying cattle from the farmers.
- Feeding pens with feed and water troughs; there are 6 pens constructed with gum poles and concrete feed/water troughs in each pen designed to hold approximately 20 cattle per pen.
- Storage container to store feed for the cattle.
- Tractor, mower, baler and grinding mill equipment for baling veld grass for the cattle at the CBC. Any excess grass is sold at cost price to communal farmers for their animals. The grinding mill helps the farmers mill their own grown maize at minimal cost.
Organised cattle sales are held fortnightly based on the weight and grade of the cattle that farmers bring to the CBC. Proceeds for the sales are immediately given to a farmer the same day the animals are delivered to the CBC. This programme has allowed farmers to enjoy the best advantage, and minimise transport related costs to connect with private sector abattoirs. The feeding lots empower farmers and train them on how to feed their younger cattle in order to collect a better price and higher grade of beef through the BEST project before the cattle gets too old to sell at a competitive price.
As an added benefit, Zimnyama also offers farmers a feeding scheme, known as Feeder Finance Option, whereby animals are fed at the CBC and remain there until they have reached the required grade and weight before being slaughtered.
Our People
The business held its long awaited long service awards ceremony in June 2023, to acknowledge all employees who have been with the business for over five years.
The longest serving employee in F2023 was David Phiri who has worked for the AMP Group for 42 years.
