Quarantine vital for beef products

RUNDU – The quarantine of cattle north of the Veterinary Cordon Fence plays a fundamental role in the marketing of beef products, Meatco’s Manager for the Northern Regions, Jannie Breytenbach, said last week.

Speaking at the Thomas Shiyave Quarantine Camp in eastern Kavango, Breytenbach said to make sure that all farmers have access to these facilities, his company constructed four quarantine camps in the northern areas to the tune of N$3,2 million, of which three, including Shiyave camp, are in the Kavango region. He stressed that the market determines the price and conditions and therefore Meatco must ensure that the conditions are in place to produce safe and healthy meat.The quarantine system is one of the standards that the Directorate of Veterinary Services uses to certify that beef from these areas is healthy and safe for human consumption.Breytenbach praised the Thomas Shiyave Quarantine Committee, including Minister John Mutorwa, for the manner in which they acted to address the vandalism problem at the camp.He strongly believes that such an approach should be an example to other regions in how to deal with vandalism.Apart from vandalism and theft at the camp, the Meatco Manager emphasised that the biggest threat now for the quarantine camp was the forest fires that might destroy the camp again.Breytenbach further noted that Meatco’s aim is to empower farmers in the northern areas, and to assist them in doing business with their animals and increase their household income.Farmers, therefore, need farming information, marketing information and financial discipline and planning.The Meat Board of Namibia’s Marketing Manager, Sikunawa Tshiponga Negumbo, said he was impressed by the quality of the cattle brought into the camp by the farmers.He said farmers needed to be assisted through training so that they could produce quality cattle to compete with producers in the southern cordon areas of the country.Negumbo said his organisation was working tirelessly to help farmers in northern Namibia in general animal husbandry, animal breeding, dehorning, de-worming to kill parasites, branding as well as providing information on marketing strategies.He further assured farmers that Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, is looking into the possibility of allowing their meat products to be sold to the outside world, for example Europe.Both Breytenbach and Negumbo attended the official reopening of the Thomas Shiyave Quarantine camp with the aim to give more information regarding livestock farming to farmers in the Kavango region.- NampaHe stressed that the market determines the price and conditions and therefore Meatco must ensure that the conditions are in place to produce safe and healthy meat.The quarantine system is one of the standards that the Directorate of Veterinary Services uses to certify that beef from these areas is healthy and safe for human consumption.Breytenbach praised the Thomas Shiyave Quarantine Committee, including Minister John Mutorwa, for the manner in which they acted to address the vandalism problem at the camp.He strongly believes that such an approach should be an example to other regions in how to deal with vandalism.Apart from vandalism and theft at the camp, the Meatco Manager emphasised that the biggest threat now for the quarantine camp was the forest fires that might destroy the camp again.Breytenbach further noted that Meatco’s aim is to empower farmers in the northern areas, and to assist them in doing business with their animals and increase their household income.Farmers, therefore, need farming information, marketing information and financial discipline and planning.The Meat Board of Namibia’s Marketing Manager, Sikunawa Tshiponga Negumbo, said he was impressed by the quality of the cattle brought into the camp by the farmers.He said farmers needed to be assisted through training so that they could produce quality cattle to compete with producers in the southern cordon areas of the country.Negumbo said his organisation was working tirelessly to help farmers in northern Namibia in general animal husbandry, animal breeding, dehorning, de-worming to kill parasites, branding as well as providing information on marketing strategies.He further assured farmers that Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, is looking into the possibility of allowing their meat products to be sold to the outside world, for example Europe.Both Breytenbach and Negumbo attended the official reopening of the Thomas Shiyave Quarantine camp with the aim to give more information regarding livestock farming to farmers in the Kavango region.- Nampa