Staff Reporter
THE Deputy Executive Director in the Department of Agriculture, Kingsley Kwenani, has emphasised the importance of maintaining Namibia’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-free status, warning that any outbreak of the highly infectious animal disease could jeopardise the country’s access to lucrative beef markets.
“For Namibia, whose livestock and meat industry is deeply integrated into premium international markets, safeguarding our FMD-free status is therefore vital,” he said.
Kwenani made these remarks at the Multi-Sectoral Meeting on Foot-and-Mouth Disease Preparedness and Response, which aimed to bring together stakeholders in the livestock sector to discuss the regional FMD risk and mitigation measures.
Video: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water & Land Reform
“The recurring outbreaks in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, including South Africa’s loss of FMD-free status, and the recent outbreak in one of Botswana’s FMD-free zones (Zone 6b), have elevated the risk profile. As a result, it appears that our international markets are currently watching closely to see what will happen with Namibia,” Kwenani said.
He further highlighted that Namibia has been recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health as an FMD-free zone south of the veterinary cordon fence since 1997. He urged stakeholders to safeguard this status, noting that it secures access to global markets.
“This status, shared by only a handful of African countries, provides access to lucrative markets with minimal sanitary restrictions, reinforcing our competitive advantage in the global livestock trade,” Kwenani added.
