Producer-owned Savanna Beef Processors slaughtered and processed a total of 12 603 cattle and paid N$267.95 million to producers from 27 August 2025 to 31 July 2026.
Of these cattle, only 2 472, for which Savanna paid N$49.75 million to producers, were processed before the company got European Union (EU) export certification on 7 April and their products were supplied to the local market.
According to Savanna chief executive Ian Collard, most of these cattle were used for staff training, equipment testing and the EU export audit.
“After the EU certification was granted, a slaughter rights and online system was launched and implemented,” he says in a progress report at the company’s annual general meeting on 13 August.
Collard says during the EU accredited slaughter pilot period from 13 April to 29 May 2026, 2 501 cattle were slaughtered under EU certification with the first frozen reefer leaving for Rotterdam on 24 April this year.
“A total of N$53.97 million was paid to producers while nine reefer containers were shipped out on 18 May, arriving at their destination on 19 June, 2026,” he says.
Collard explains the functions of the different facilities at the export abattoir of which the shareholding stands at N$290 million in total.
The company also has two loan agreements – with the Industrial Development Corporation of N$150 million and with Energy Utilities of N$107 million – as well as a Standard Bank Namibia working capital facility of N$85 million.
Collard says deboning is at the heart of the business as it creates value through product optimisation and yield enhancement.
“Cutting efficiency and loss reduction are critical success factors for profitability, competitiveness, and long term sustainability,” he said.
Outlining the operational performance growth, Collard says during the May pilot period, an average of 480 beef quarters (about 33 tonnes) were deboned per day, but this increased in July to 700 beef quarters (about 55 tonnes) a day.
“Peak capacity was achieved when up to 1 000 beef quarters were deboned in a single day, through a highly specialised and labour-intensive process,” he says, adding that the team underwent a comprehensive three-month training by three deboning experts from the United Kingdom.
“At full capacity, the export abattoir is capable of dispatching up to three 24-tonne export containers per day as we have day and night shifts to ensure customer orders are prepared efficiently and dispatched on schedule,” the CEO says.
Collard says Savanna has successfully established a strong export footprint with more than 70 consignments shipped to international markets.
“Our products have reached key European destinations including Rotterdam, London Gateway, Genoa, Piraeus, Réunion, and London Heathrow, demonstrating our ability to serve a diverse range of customers across multiple markets,” he says.
In addition, five offal loads were exported to South Africa, further expanding Savanna’s regional market presence, he says.
Relating Savanna’s success stories, Collard says seven boxes of premium beef cuts were air-freighted to the United Kingdom at the beginning of June for a tasting event with Booker, one of the United Kingdom’s leading wholesale suppliers.
“The exceptional quality of the beef received very positive feedback, resulting in Savanna Beef being approved and listed as a supplier,” he says.
He says the Woolworths supplier audit was successfully completed at the end of June, marking another important milestone in market development, while the Block House and Timberjacks restaurant chains have each received their first trial pallets, with initial customer evaluations now underway.
– email: matthew@namibian.com.na
