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04:06Last update on: 12 Aug 2013
The Namibian
Mon 12 Aug 2013
SMS Of The Day * MINISTRY of Gender and Child Welfare, TEARS are rolling down as I write this SMS. The killing of women in Namibia is now like reciting a poem. Are we really getting the protection we deserve while women not being treated as part of this c Food For Thought * SO the Zimbabwe elections were free and peaceful and not free and fair? Bouquets And Brickbats * NURSES at Katutura Hospital must stop wearing those big plastic sandals at work because they are not the official working shoes. We want to see you looking smart and beautiful with your full uniform. SMS Of The Day * THIS nation is in dire need of a massive conference on housing. When we experienced a crisis in the education sector a crisis-control brain-storming conference was organised which resulted in the best deal ever for the Namibian child, nam Food For Thought * BOURGEOISIE has become a daily occupation if not the order of the day of the upper-echelons, President Hifikepunye Pohamba we urge you to revisit this unpatriotic geocentricism among your staff and the well-connected, for everybody to r Bouquets And Brickbats * COMMISSIONER of Prisons, can you please explain the strategies you use to appoint officers to certain positions? It is my observation that you are being fed with wrong information then you just promote individuals without making p SMS Of The Day * I THINK Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda lost his belt because of this promoter and trainer. How can a world champion still be training at the Katutura Youth Complex where there is not enough equipment. I think they must follow the example of Ha Food For Thought * NAMIBIA Dairies are unable to match low prices of imported milk and this ultimately means the consumer will have to pay more for local milk. Look at the prices of the local chicken. All these profits are going in the pockets of a few in Bouquets And Brickbats * I AM pleased to hear that Cabinet has responded positively to the proposal of Namibia Dairies to support the industry. The restrictions which support the industry by reducing competition to ensure the survival of the industry is a SMS Of The Day * CEO’s golden handshakes. Somewhere on our statute books there must be a provision that if a board of directors suspends/dismisses a CEO without due regard to legal provision (substantive/procedural law) such board must carry the costs for Food For Thought * JACKY Asheeke was so right with her last column- why are the fathers of the dead children not being prosecuted? (Reference to the children who died in shack fires last week) Our justice system still protects men over women. In this cont Bouquets And Brickbats * ALEXACTUS Kaure, your column in Friday’s newspaper opened my eyes. One hardly finds impartial case study analysers in Namibia. Let’s not destroy the Polytechnic’s strong foundation (Tjivikua) as yet. At least wait until the transf
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NEWS - NAMIBIA
| 2013-07-31
Cabinet lifts ban on sheep exports
Shinovene Immanuel
FATTY MEAT ... Cabinet has opened the borders for Namibian farmers to export sheep.
THE Government yesterday lifted the ban on the export of live sheep to South Africa for the next three months as an interim relief to support small stock producers during the ongoing drought.
THE Government yesterday lifted the ban on the export of live sheep to South Africa for the next three months as an interim relief to support small stock producers during the ongoing drought.
The lifting of the ban ends a decade old restriction after the government practically closed the border for sheep exports by stipulating that for every sheep exported live, six must be slaughtered locally.
Trade and Industry Minister Calle Schlettwein made the announcement in Windhoek saying that the existing restriction of 6:1 local slaughter and export ratio be amended to a 1:1 export ratio, for a 90-day period commencing 15 August 2013 to 15 November 2013.
Schlettwein and his counterpart at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry John Mutorwa briefed Cabinet yesterday on recommending the lifting of the ban.
In addition to that, Cabinet decided to provide additional money to the N$70 incentive payment for the marketing of small stock during the drought as from 1 March 2013.
The incentive is that payments be made for drought relief from 1 August 2013 until 31 October 2013.
“Payment to producers of N$30 per head for all sheep sold to a domestic abattoir for slaughtering and processing subject to verification by the Meat Board,” the minister said.
According to him, an additional N$20 per head be paid to producers for all fat tail sheep types sold to a domestic abattoir for slaughtering and processing to assist mainly communal fat tail sheep producers will also be available and that is subject to verification by the Meat Board.
He also warned that Cabinet decided that “no penalty per head or per kg may be charged by any abattoir for the slaughtering of any fat tail sheep types”.
Schlettwein said the decision is short-term, adding that “further work remains to be done on a separate track within a two month period on the longer-term export arrangements in support of local processing and value addition”.He said the next two months will be given to a technical committee representing all stakeholders established for the purpose to come up recommendations that will be suggested to Cabinet n two months.
The minister expressed hope that the next stage of consultations for a long-term solution will be fruitful as the just ended one and they would like to create a win-win situation for all parties involved.
The government pushed for slaughtering sheep locally from July 2004 onwards, with the regulation that for each live sheep exported to South Africa, six had to be slaughtered in Namibia to improve the local slaughtering capacity.
However, it seems that this decision has only benefited few well-connected businessmen who own abattoirs.Meatco last month declared that the sheep business had suffered financially and that the corporation had incurred heavy losses during the past five years.
Meatco is the first company to close its sheep operations. Only three operators now remain on the market. The introduction of a local value-addition scheme to slaughter more sheep in Namibia and to reduce live exports to South Africa has been a topic of discussion for the past 10 years.
The lifting of the ban ends a decade old restriction after the government practically closed the border for sheep exports by stipulating that for every sheep exported live, six must be slaughtered locally.
Trade and Industry Minister Calle Schlettwein made the announcement in Windhoek saying that the existing restriction of 6:1 local slaughter and export ratio be amended to a 1:1 export ratio, for a 90-day period commencing 15 August 2013 to 15 November 2013.
Schlettwein and his counterpart at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry John Mutorwa briefed Cabinet yesterday on recommending the lifting of the ban.
In addition to that, Cabinet decided to provide additional money to the N$70 incentive payment for the marketing of small stock during the drought as from 1 March 2013.
The incentive is that payments be made for drought relief from 1 August 2013 until 31 October 2013.
“Payment to producers of N$30 per head for all sheep sold to a domestic abattoir for slaughtering and processing subject to verification by the Meat Board,” the minister said.
According to him, an additional N$20 per head be paid to producers for all fat tail sheep types sold to a domestic abattoir for slaughtering and processing to assist mainly communal fat tail sheep producers will also be available and that is subject to verification by the Meat Board.
He also warned that Cabinet decided that “no penalty per head or per kg may be charged by any abattoir for the slaughtering of any fat tail sheep types”.
Schlettwein said the decision is short-term, adding that “further work remains to be done on a separate track within a two month period on the longer-term export arrangements in support of local processing and value addition”.He said the next two months will be given to a technical committee representing all stakeholders established for the purpose to come up recommendations that will be suggested to Cabinet n two months.
The minister expressed hope that the next stage of consultations for a long-term solution will be fruitful as the just ended one and they would like to create a win-win situation for all parties involved.
The government pushed for slaughtering sheep locally from July 2004 onwards, with the regulation that for each live sheep exported to South Africa, six had to be slaughtered in Namibia to improve the local slaughtering capacity.
However, it seems that this decision has only benefited few well-connected businessmen who own abattoirs.Meatco last month declared that the sheep business had suffered financially and that the corporation had incurred heavy losses during the past five years.
Meatco is the first company to close its sheep operations. Only three operators now remain on the market. The introduction of a local value-addition scheme to slaughter more sheep in Namibia and to reduce live exports to South Africa has been a topic of discussion for the past 10 years.
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(August 12)
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