At Friday’s informal talks between the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) and representatives from South Africa’s red meat industry, various key stakeholders, farmers and unions all pleaded with government to consider interim livestock trade arrangements in FMD-unaffected areas.
The participants shared that it would be impossible for both commercial and communal farmers to withstand the current Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) restrictions for six or seven months without trading, as that will lead to the inevitable collapse of farming operations and various beef value chains.
Livestock auctions, informal markets, social event slaughters, and local abattoir operations have all been strictly halted in the affected area as part of the government’s FMD response plan.
NAU stressed that the meeting was an informal exchange between industry organisations and not a negotiation, as only the governments of Namibia and South Africa can negotiate market access and trade arrangements officially.
The South African visiting delegation included representatives of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO), AgriSA and Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS).
South Africa has dealt with FMD outbreaks for several years, and the delegation shared its experience of the protocols, permits and traceability requirements that apply when animals move from a restricted area to abattoirs.
NAU president Thinus Pretorius said producers in Namibia have been unable to sell livestock since movement restrictions were imposed on 23 September.
“FMD seldom kills a cow, but it easily kills a farm. South African farmers understand that, because they have been through it,” Pretorius said.
According to the NAU, participants agreed that while market access is ultimately negotiated between governments, industry needs to put a concrete, evidence-based proposal on the table.
The proposal would set out the safeguards, traceability measures and documentation needed to move animals to abattoirs under veterinary control.
That formal process could take six to seven months; a period producers cannot survive without income.
“Waiting is not a plan. We would therefore also ask the authorities to consider interim arrangements while allowing some trade to continue. Every week that passes has a price, and the farmer pays it first,” said NAU CEO Roelie Venter.
No agreements were made at the brainstorming meeting, as any future arrangement will require approval from the veterinary authorities of both countries.
FMD was confirmed on a commercial farm in the Karasburg State Veterinary District on 23 September and as of 6 October, 17 farms had been confirmed infected with a total of 127 cases. A separate outbreak has also been confirmed in the Zambezi region.
Because the initial cases emerged inside Namibia’s historically recognised FMD-free zone, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has officially suspended Namibia’s FMD-free status for the affected zone.
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