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A new concept to trade livestock online - Beeswinkel.co.za - was recently launched.
About 1 000 weaners were sold in less than 20 minutes on the internet auction platform.
All the calves, presented in eight different lots, were sold within a few minutes.
"The results bowled us over. We are incredibly proud to be able to simplify the livestock procurement process with our platform," Petrus van Heerden, director of Beeswinkel, said in a statement after the auction.
"The success of this auction is of great value to current buyers and sellers of livestock. Not only can we see that a technological breakthrough has been made for farmers, but also that the interest is there and that the auction process has been simplified. None of the feedlot owners who traded livestock in the auction needed to leave their office or home."
The service is free for everyone to use.
Beeswinkel also plans to launch "Operation Market Share" this week. The purpose is to ensure, maintain and grow market share for cattle and sheep farmers.
"We call on the consumer to realise that buying meat in bulk, like a whole or half lamb or a beef hind quarter, offers the best value," said Van Heerden.
"We realise that not everybody can buy in bulk and call upon people to start forming syndicates and buy together. The perception that meat is too expensive...needs to change. We call on the retail industry to stop reporting beef or lamb prices on their packing in kilograms but to change to prices per 100 grams."
"If the consumer start comparing meat prices at per 100 grams to everything else they buy, they will start to realise how comparatively cheap meat is."
He furthermore called on all farmers to accept responsibility for the marketing and promoting of beef and lamb.
