LPO and NAU congresses

THE Livestock Producers’ Organisation (LPO) will hold its annual congress in Windhoek next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The theme is ‘Challenges of new economic realities for sustainable production’. Delegates will further discuss the small-stock marketing scheme, which limits farmers exporting live sheep to South Africa, where they receive better prices at abattoirs than in Namibia.Efforts to draft a rangeland policy will also be on the agenda.The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) will hold its annual congress in Windhoek next Wednesday and Thursday with the theme ‘The role and value of the farmer for food security’.Guest speakers will be Agriculture Mnister John Mutorwa and Professor Nick Vink, who heads the agricultural economics department at South Africa’s University of Stellenbosch.Decision on cattle ear tags THE Meat Board and the farm-assured meat (FANMeat) committee are still in the process of deciding which type of ear tag will be used as compulsory identification for cattle.Producers will be informed in due course about the date of implementation and the type of ear tag, according to the Meat Board.For practical reasons, especially at abattoirs and auctions, the electronic ear tag is recommended, but this involves costs, which will have to be recovered from the producers.”The Meat Board is negotiating to subsidise the prices and Meatco has already decided to subsidise the electronic ear tag,” the organisation said on Friday.Africa Forum in Ethiopia A NAMIBIAN delegation is attending the annual Africa Forum conference during which experts analyse the development of Africa.It started on Monday and the Namibian office of the German technical development agency GTZ is sponsoring the Namibian delegation.It includes the executive manager of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), Sakkie Coetzee, and its Research and Development Manager, Elaine Smith.Other Namibian participants are delegates from the Namibia National Farmers’ Union (NNFU), the Namibia Emerging Farmers’ Forum (NECFF), the Ministry of Lands and the Ministry of Agriculture.The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Making agri-business work for rural livelihood’.”At this Forum feedback will also be given about the work done since the 2007 Forum held in Ghana,” the NAU said in a newsletter.Delegates will further discuss the small-stock marketing scheme, which limits farmers exporting live sheep to South Africa, where they receive better prices at abattoirs than in Namibia.Efforts to draft a rangeland policy will also be on the agenda.The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) will hold its annual congress in Windhoek next Wednesday and Thursday with the theme ‘The role and value of the farmer for food security’.Guest speakers will be Agriculture Mnister John Mutorwa and Professor Nick Vink, who heads the agricultural economics department at South Africa’s University of Stellenbosch.Decision on cattle ear tags THE Meat Board and the farm-assured meat (FANMeat) committee are still in the process of deciding which type of ear tag will be used as compulsory identification for cattle.Producers will be informed in due course about the date of implementation and the type of ear tag, according to the Meat Board.For practical reasons, especially at abattoirs and auctions, the electronic ear tag is recommended, but this involves costs, which will have to be recovered from the producers.”The Meat Board is negotiating to subsidise the prices and Meatco has already decided to subsidise the electronic ear tag,” the organisation said on Friday.Africa Forum in Ethiopia A NAMIBIAN delegation is attending the annual Africa Forum conference during which experts analyse the development of Africa.It started on Monday and the Namibian office of the German technical development agency GTZ is sponsoring the Namibian delegation.It includes the executive manager of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), Sakkie Coetzee, and its Research and Development Manager, Elaine Smith.Other Namibian participants are delegates from the Namibia National Farmers’ Union (NNFU), the Namibia Emerging Farmers’ Forum (NECFF), the Ministry of Lands and the Ministry of Agriculture.The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Making agri-business work for rural livelihood’.”At this Forum feedback will also be given about the work done since the 2007 Forum held in Ghana,” the NAU said in a newsletter.