Animal health declarations due

The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) has reminded its members that animal health declarations for the first six months of the year are due and should be submitted by all livestock producers.

According to the union, the periods for which the compulsory declarations must be completed are from January to June and July to December of each year.

“It is compulsory that livestock producers submit declarations, which must reach the district state veterinary office within 30 days after the end of each reporting period,” the union says in its latest weekly newsletter.

The union says data collected through the submission of self-declarations is used for animal disease control, tracking animal disease trends, and for compulsory reporting to the World Organisation for Animal Health on the health status of livestock in the country.

“Stock brands or producers who fail to submit declarations on time will be restricted until such time as the required documentation is submitted to the state veterinary office.

“We encourage producers to file their submissions online via the NamLits system. Declaration forms can be downloaded from the Meat Board’s website and are also available at state veterinary offices,” the union says.

The NAU further advises that producers who hand in forms at state veterinary offices should insist on proof of receipt, and if the form has been submitted by email, it must be sent to animal.health@mawf.gov.na.

Producers should ensure that receipt is acknowledged.

“The best option, however, is to complete the form directly on the NamLits system.

“The deadline for all submissions for the July to December 2023 period was 31 January 2024,” the union says.

– email: matthew@namibian.com.na