Foot-and-mouth must be contained to save the meat industry A
n outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the communal farming areas in the northern region of Namibia has to be contained to prevent a possible ban on exports which can lead to huge losses in the meat industry. Reuters reports that the outbreak was first detected in the Ndiyona constituency in the northern region of Kavango East at the end of September, and that it spread to the neighbouring Kavango West region and Shighuru village, which is also in the Kavango East region. According to The Namibian, the first case of FMD was reported at Olukonda constituency in Oshikoto region on 28 December 2020 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform. Another case was reported at Uuvudhiya constituency in Oshana region on 6 January 2021. Chief Veterinary Officer Albertina Musilika-Shilongo said all the affected regions, including Oshikoto, Omusati and Kunene North have been declared disease management areas in attempts to stop the further spread of the outbreak. Movement of all live cloven-hoofed animals to and from the areas has been banned with immediate effect. The government has also banned the transportation of other potentially infectious commodities, such as hides, skins, game trophies and plant material out of the affected areas. Most of the regions fall within the red-line district of the country where FMD is endemic.
The ban on the use of hormones in meat production in Namibia has made it possible for the country to become the first African country to export meat to America, China, and Europe. Photo: Meatco.
Photo: Meatco.
Red line Walvis Bay area
Food-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in the region north of the red line. In this region, red meat producers, vendors and kapana (roasted meat) sellers already suffering from the results of the Covid-19 lockdown, are particularly hard hit. Meat buyers now have to buy meat
south of the veterinary cordon fence, but the difficulties and cost of transport make it impossible for their businesses to survive. The meat buyers are asking for the ban to be lifted, but if the disease spreads to the southern regions and commercial farms, it would not only affect the farmers, but the economy of the whole country. Namibia exports beef to the lucrative Chinese, European Union, and American markets where the free-range, hormone-free beef is extremely popular. In 2019, Namibia exported about 12 400 tonnes of meat to Norway, Britain, the European Union, and Chinese markets, being the first African country to do so after negotiations spanning two decades over safety regulations and logistics.
ProAgri Botswana / Namibia / Zimbabwe 18
In 2020, Meatco in Namibia was expected to export 860 tonnes of various boneless beef cuts to the United States, but it is not clear what the influence of the Covid-19 lockdown and the drought had been. The plan is to export 5 000 tonnes by 2025, which will contribute significantly to the country’s income. The spread of FMD will severely impact on this tender export agreement. What is FMD? Foot-and-mouth disease is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of cattle and pigs. It also affects sheep, goats, game, and other cloven-hooved ruminants. FMD is not recognised as a zoonotic disease, in other words, it cannot be transmitted to humans. 29
