New agreement on Nam beef will ensure no loss of EU market

NAMIBIA’S meat sector says it is confident that a new trade agreement will be in place by the end of this year to avoid the country losing out on its lucrative European market.

Speaking on behalf of the Namibian meat sector on Friday, Trade Advisor to the Agricultural Forum Jurgen Hoffmann said they intended to “drive the negotiations to finalise them by the end of 2007″ but even if they failed to hit the target, they would get the European Union to agree to use the current agreement until a new one was reached. At the moment the EU has allocated an export quota of 13 000 tons of beef a year to Namibia under the Cotonou Agreement.The agreement comes to an end in December and must be replaced by a new one.Hoffmann said the EU has made a new proposal which would allow duty-and quota-free market access for exports to its markets.The statement from the meat industry came after an economist at Meatco, Wallie Roux, said Namibia needed to be cautious with the pace at which EU wanted the negotiations concluded.”If you are unwise enough to rush for a deadline without looking at the content of the agreement, then you are signing away your life,” Roux, a researcher with Meatco, said on another platform.Roux in the meantime been suspended by Meatco.Roux stated that the EU had underestimated and misjudged SADC, thinking it would be able to steamroll its way with the region in these negotiations.He dismissed the offer by the EU to eliminate all tariffs and quotas on imports from the ACP countries from January next year, saying it had nothing to do with SADC and would not benefit the region in any way.Europe is Namibia’s most important export destination for beef, fish and grapes, accounting for 100 per cent of Namibia’s agricultural exports.At the moment the EU has allocated an export quota of 13 000 tons of beef a year to Namibia under the Cotonou Agreement.The agreement comes to an end in December and must be replaced by a new one.Hoffmann said the EU has made a new proposal which would allow duty-and quota-free market access for exports to its markets.The statement from the meat industry came after an economist at Meatco, Wallie Roux, said Namibia needed to be cautious with the pace at which EU wanted the negotiations concluded.”If you are unwise enough to rush for a deadline without looking at the content of the agreement, then you are signing away your life,” Roux, a researcher with Meatco, said on another platform.Roux in the meantime been suspended by Meatco.Roux stated that the EU had underestimated and misjudged SADC, thinking it would be able to steamroll its way with the region in these negotiations.He dismissed the offer by the EU to eliminate all tariffs and quotas on imports from the ACP countries from January next year, saying it had nothing to do with SADC and would not benefit the region in any way.Europe is Namibia’s most important export destination for beef, fish and grapes, accounting for 100 per cent of Namibia’s agricultural exports.