Meat Board general manager, Paul Strydom told The Namibian in an interview yesterday that such a move was nearly impossible under the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) agreement, adding that Namibia's SACU Trade negotiators nor his organisation had not received any such request or word regarding the matter.

"There were a few articles in the newspapers and we do not know the basis of such a request.

There are no reasons for such a levy to be imposed.

"The Namibian Meat Board is in constant communication with South African authorities including South African industry meat organisations in this regard," said Strydom.

The articles claimed that there was "extensive dismay" in the South African red meat industry on Namibia's cutting down the number of export of live sheep to that country.

Manie Booysen, the executive principal of the South African meat-industry company, was quoted saying if the situation continued, the South African mutton industry would insist that an import tariff of 40 per cent be levied on imported mutton from Namibia.

From July 1 this year, Namibia effected a new policy legalising some restrictions on the export of sheep on the hoof.

The new policy aims at increasing local sheep slaughtering versus live exports in order to utilise existing slaughter capacity.

Under this policy framework initially 500 000 lamb carcasses will be exported to South Africa annually.

Prior to June, out of the 1,1 million sheep produced in the country, Namibia was slaughtering between 30 and 35 per cent, while the rest was exported to South Africa on the hoof.

Strydom said the Namibian shift in market policy was meant to optimally utilise throughput at local export abbatoirs, develop the country's small-stock processing industry, perform value-addition and create employment.

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