Namibia is working on a plan to divide its foot-and-mouth disease-free livestock area into smaller zones to protect the livestock industry and exports.
This comes amid an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at a commercial farm in the ||Kharas region, which was part of its FMD-free zone.
Acting minister of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform Charles Mubita announced the outbreak in the National Assembly yesterday.
He said the disease was detected during routine surveillance at a commercial farm in the Karasburg State Veterinary District.
The plan for smaller zones is still being developed, with authorities looking at the cost of fencing, livestock movement and how the proposed zones would work.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform confirmed this yesterday.
‘BOTTLENECKS’
There are, however, concerns that smaller zones may restrict farmers in marketing their livestock.
Aminuis farmer Freddy Koujo supports the idea, but says additional livestock movement controls could create problems for farmers.
“If it is stringent, it might create a lot of bottlenecks,” he says. Koujo says obtaining movement permits is already difficult for some farmers.
“Especially if you are in the communal areas,” he says.
Koujo says the proposal could work if authorities keep the movement process manageable. Veterinary officials collected samples from 11 cattle showing signs of FMD on Tuesday.
The samples were tested at the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Windhoek, with 10 of the 11 head of cattle testing positive.
Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (LLPBN) executive for quality assurance Anja Boshoff says the directorate of veterinary services has developed a proposal to divide the FMD-free area into smaller zones, but the initial plan is too expensive.
“So the directorate has an initial plan, but they are going back to the drawing board because that plan is too expensive,” Boshoff says. The proposed zones could allow unaffected areas to continue trading if an FMD outbreak occurs in one part of the country.
Boshoff says authorities are considering using existing game fences as boundaries to reduce costs. A workable plan could take about six months before it is ready to be presented to the World Organisation for Animal Health.
“The plan is definitely that this fence will never be removed. We will only add fences to that,” she says.
Mubita says the government has decided to introduce measures which include a countrywide suspension of the movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their products.
The government has also suspended the import and export of all cloven-hoofed animals until further notice.
Cloven-hoofed animals include cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.
The directorate of veterinary services is expected to issue a public notice setting out the control measures in more detail.
“This development comes with serious impact and implications to the national economy and livelihood of the Namibian people, due to suspension of marketing of livestock and livestock products, locally and internationally,” Mubita says. He says the ministry will work to contain the outbreak as quickly as possible. Mubita says restoring normal livestock marketing remains a priority for the government.
This follows as more cattle were marketed between January and July this year than during the same period last year.
About 156 000 head of cattle were marketed in 2026, up from about 122 000 in 2025, an increase of around 28%. July recorded the highest number, with more than 30 000 cattle marketed.
BeefCor director Jaco Swanepoel welcomes the move.
“I think it will be positive if they can do,” he says.
Affirmative Repositioning (AR) member of parliament George Kambala has rejected the plan. He says the proposal would create new boundaries instead of removing the redline.
“Introducing zones within the FMD-free zone does not answer the question the redline was built to avoid answering. It simply moves the line further south and gives it a new name,” he says. He says farmers in the northern communal areas (NCA) have pushed for years for an end to restrictions linked to the veterinary cordon fence (redline) rather than the creation of new boundaries.
Kambala says the AR would oppose internal zoning if its purpose is to protect Namibia’s livestock export status while responding to concerns from northern communal farmers.
“If the intention behind internal zoning is to protect Namibia’s export status while appearing to respond to NCA farmers’ grievances, we say plainly this is not reform. It is the redline in a new shape,” he says.
In July, minister of international relations and trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi said Namibia exported meat worth N$1.43 billion in the first five months of the year. Most of its meat exports are destined for the European market. Agriculture ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda says the government is considering the proposal.
“Yes, we know about the demarcation and we are already considering it,” he says.
He says no deadline has been set.
“We are still working on the modalities. Once we have a clear direction, then we are going to give a deadline. But for now, we don’t have a deadline,” he says.
Muyunda says the ministry is treating the matter as urgent because of FMD outbreaks in neighbouring countries.
“It is something we are working around the clock on as a matter of urgency, especially considering the threat is coming from elsewhere, particularly South Africa.”
Gibeon farmer Lintrudie Bock says early measures could help protect farmers from major livestock losses if an outbreak occurs.
“For me, maybe it will work because in the long term, all of us could suffer losses from the disease,” he says.
Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister for agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform Michael Mulunga says the move could help limit the impact of an FMD outbreak by preventing restrictions in one affected area from disrupting livestock movement across the entire FMD-free zone.
“We welcome such a decision to break up the country into various zones so we prepare for the future, because we don’t know what will happen with this foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa and in Botswana,” he says.
Mulunga says under the current system, an outbreak in one part of the FMD-free area could affect livestock movement across the entire zone.
“But in Namibia’s case, if there’s an outbreak everything will be affected,” he says.
Agriculture economist Turimuye Uandara says smaller zones could allow the country to contain an outbreak.
“This could help protect export market access and provide greater continuity for farmers, abattoirs and exporters, particularly given Namibia’s dependence on international beef markets,” he says.
Uandara, however, says dividing the area into more zones could also make cattle marketing more expensive and complicated.
“Farmers and other industry players could face additional movement controls, veterinary certification, traceability and documentation requirements when transporting cattle between zones,” she says.
Uandara says subzoning could also reduce the number of cattle available to certain abattoirs and buyers, increase transport and transaction costs, and limit farmers’ choice of where to market their animals.
The success of such a system would ultimately depend on whether the benefits of protecting export markets outweigh the additional costs of operating several zones, he says.
