The Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (LLPB) has released new benchmarks for livestock prices to calculate levies where the transaction values of livestock could not be audited.
According to a government notice, the LLPB (formerly the Meat Board) must annually calculate standard values for the following financial year.
These levies are calculated as percentages of the standard values during the export and import of livestock, local transaction and slaughtering at local abattoirs.
The board seeks to promote a conducive environment for sustainable livestock production, market growth and diversification for livestock, meat and meat products.
According to the latest issue of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) newsletter, the standard values are calculated according to the real trade value of livestock during the previous calendar year.
“The standard values applicable during the 2024/25 financial year will be implemented from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025,” the newsletter says.
Live cattle have been assigned a standard value of N$7 141, while cattle for slaughter have the standard value of N$15 810, the union says.
“Goats have been assigned the standard value of N$1 097, regardless of the transaction, while sheep have been valued at N$1 444 for any transaction, and pork has been given a standard value of N$3 198 for any transaction,” the newsletter reads.
The LLPB says cattle marketing decreased in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The drop was most notable in live exports and at B- and C-class abattoirs, while throughput at export-approved abattoirs performed better than during the fourth quarter of 2022.
A total of 58 460 animals were marketed, compared to 63 439 during the corresponding quarter in 2022, the board states in a report on the performance of the meat industry.
The sheep sector performed relatively well in the fourth quarter of 2023, with live exports and slaughtering at A-class abattoirs recording improved growths.
Slaughtering activities at B- and C-class abattoirs declined in this period.
Total goat marketing during the fourth quarter of 2023 contracted by 3,4%, compared to 2022, with live exports during the fourth quarter of 2023 recording 44 041 heads, compared to 44 760 in the same period in 2022.
Pork slaughtering activities at LLPB-registered abattoirs recorded slight growth during the period under review compared to 2022.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, 11 762 pigs were slaughtered at LLPB-registered abattoirs, a 1,6% decline compared to the 11 951 pigs slaughtered in the same period in 2022, the LLPB says.
– email: matthew@namibian.com.na
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