The European Union says it supports efforts to allow Namibia’s northern communal farmers to enter international markets if the regions attain disease-free status to export meat.
“We do support the veterinary authorities in the northern communal areas to increase access of farmers to the market and strengthen animal farm health,” EU ambassador to Namibia Ana Beatriz Martins told Desert FM yesterday.
She said this after the EU announced a temporary suspension of the import of fresh beef, sheep and goat meat, some processed meat products, biltong and jerky from Namibia following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
The ambassador said meat from other parts of Namibia cannot simply replace exports affected by the outbreak.
“Namibia has designated this part below the veterinary cordon fence as one export zone for Europe,” Martins said, adding that the entire area south of the redline had FMD-free status for exporting to Europe before the outbreak.
“Therefore, a case in the south affects the entire area that qualifies for exports to Europe,” she explained.
“Namibia has built up a reputation as a high-quality beef exporter over so many years that one outbreak will not erase that achievement,” Martins said.
EU Delegation to Namibia spokesperson Twaku Kayofa yesterday clarified these sentiments to ensure the ambassador’s stance on support is not misinterpreted.
Kayofa said meat from north of the redline cannot currently be exported to the EU because the area is not recognised as FMD-free.
“The EU rules do not allow for that. It allows only for meat when the area is declared FMD-free,” he said.
Earlier this year, the EU gave Namibia specialised livestock transport vehicles to strengthen veterinary services, disease control and market access for farmers in northern communal areas.
The EU, in partnership with the National Planning Commission, handed over five livestock trucks and trailers worth N$20.68 million last September to this aim.
Meat from north of the veterinary cordon fence (redline) does not currently qualify for export to the bloc.
‘IT MEANS NOTHING’
Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader and member of parliament Job Amupanda, who has been campaigning for the removal of the redline, says the EU’s support for northern communal farmers means little without practical steps to open the market to them.
“She must tell us the date when farmers north of the redline can access that market. That’s just rhetoric. It means absolutely nothing,” he says.
Amupanda says he does not oppose measures aimed at controlling animal diseases, but argues they should apply equally wherever outbreaks occur.
The FMD outbreak in the Karasburg state veterinary district shows outbreaks can occur south of the redline too, he says.
The AR leader says the loss of FMD-free status in the export zone should prompt the government to reconsider the country’s livestock marketing system and the exclusion of northern communal farmers.
The World Organisation for Animal Health last month stripped the export zone south of the redline of its FMD-free status.
“If it is an infected zone, what do we then call the meat that comes from the protection zone [north of the cordon fence]?” Amupanda asks.
He describes the redline as an economic barrier that limits market opportunities for farmers north of the fence.
“The redline is an economic embargo for 60% of the Namibian people. We have to seek alternative markets,” he says.
Amupanda further calls for resources mobilised to fight FMD to benefit livestock farmers across the country.
“FMD money cannot just be for the south. FMD money must be for the whole country,” he says.
As of Monday, veterinary teams inspected 29 313 animals on 68 farms. A total of 127 FMD cases has been confirmed on 15 farms.
Some 20 surveillance teams have been deployed, while 10 roadblocks have been set up across the ||Kharas region.
PRESIDENT WARNS AGAINST PRICE HIKES
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Monday warned businesses against increasing the price of livestock products, critical materials and emergency supplies during the outbreak.
“This outbreak must not become an opportunity to exploit distress through inflated prices,” she said during a high-level address on the FMD outbreak.
Nandi-Ndaitwah also announced that the Cabinet has approved a critical containment response plan aimed at stopping the disease from spreading to unaffected areas.
The plan includes establishing a containment buffer zone in the Karasburg veterinary district, repairing parts of the Namibia-Botswana border fence, and putting up veterinary cordon fencing in high-risk areas along the South African border.
The Cabinet has also ordered the implementation of relevant provisions of the Animal Health Act and stronger disease-control and biosecurity measures.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the government is concerned about the financial pressure on farmers and businesses servicing loans with financial institutions.
She said the government is engaging other trading partners over Namibian meat exports in an effort to limit trade disruptions.
“Maintaining confidence in our veterinary systems is essential to protecting Namibia’s reputation as a reliable producer and exporter,” she said.
SPECIALS STOPPED
Windhoek’s Ouma Nora Butchery salesperson Suzanne Scheepers says the butchery stopped running specials last week because it does not have enough meat to do so.
She says the shortage has also affected advertising because the business cannot currently promote specials.
“We won’t advertise anything, because we do not have enough stock,” she says.
Scheepers says the butchery is waiting for restrictions to ease so lamb and mutton supplies can resume.
Another butchery owner, who spoke to The Namibian on condition of anonymity, says his business has temporarily closed because it cannot get fresh meat.
“My suppliers are speaking to the vets who come and inspect the animals for slaughter. The vets are telling my suppliers they are unable to slaughter,” he says.
The owner says the business relies on fresh meat and does not keep large quantities of frozen products.
“We have nothing in our storage to sell, so we’re hoping we’ll be able to slaughter,” he says.
