Twice a day, more than a thousand Indian runner ducks waddle through the vine rows at Vergenoegd Löw Wine Estate in South Africa’s Western Cape, drawing visitors and fulfilling a practical purpose. The ducks, alongside sheep and cattle, form the backbone of the estate’s regenerative farming system, managing pests and vegetation without synthetic chemicals.
Estate and farm manager Christiaan Cloete explains that each species targets a different ecological niche. The ducks hunt snails, aphids and worms. Cattle graze taller cover crops, reducing them by roughly half. Sheep follow, feeding on the shorter grass and targeting weeds, particularly during winter.
The estate has deployed ducks as biological pest control since the 1980s. Today, the practice reflects a broader shift across the Cape Winelands toward sustainable agriculture. Cloete estimates about ten wine farms in the region now use runner ducks for winter pest management, while more are integrating cattle into vineyard operations.
Beyond pest and weed control, the animals fertilise the soil as they move. Ecology ranger Milan Germishuizen says soil Health is fundamental to wine quality. “The more pesticides and artificial fertilisers you put onto your soil, eventually your soil will degenerate,” he says. “By using natural methods we are really looking after our soils.”
Vergenoegd Löw, one of the Cape’s oldest estates, produces award-winning wines and leverages the ducks as a Tourism attraction. The property sits in the Cape Winelands, which accounts for most of South Africa’s wine production and overlaps two global biodiversity hotspots. The estate is among more than 60 farms in the area designated as Conservation Champions by the World Wide Fund for Nature, formalising a commitment to farming practices that protect the surrounding ecosystem while maintaining commercial viability.
