Over 75% of South Africa’s electricity is generated by coal-powered plants that are primarily located near large coal deposits in the north and east of the country. The Transvaal Highveld region is characterised by commercial agricultural enterprises dispersed among coal-powered electricity plants that produce emissions, resulting in dilute acid precipitation on these landscapes. These ecosystem alterations have been implicated in both plant and livestock trace mineral imbalances. This survey evaluated the trace mineral status of forages grown and beef cattle reared on farms classified as impacted or non-impacted by emissions from coal-powered electricity plants near Middelburg, Mpumalanga. Forage samples were collected at the end and beginning of the growing season and analysed for concentrations of minerals of nutritional relevance to cattle. Soil sulphur and potassium concentrations tended to be higher on impacted than non-impacted farms, but there was no effect of location on soil pH. Farm location had no impact on forage sulphur concentrations, but forage concentrations of phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium were higher on impacted than non-impacted farms. The trace mineral status of beef cattle reared in these regions was assessed by analysing liver tissue harvested from cattle at the time of slaughter. Cattle grazing forages grown in impacted areas had lower copper, selenium, and zinc concentrations than cattle reared in non-impacted areas. These data suggest that the spatial location of farms, relative to coal-powered electricity plants, may impact the mineral characteristics of forages grown at these locations and thus the mineral status of cattle consuming these forages.

(Submitted 10 September 2025; Accepted 06 March 2026; Published 14 April 2026)