By Lylie Happiness
Windhoek, 16 May 2024 | |Livestock quarantine facilities crucial for farmers in managing and marketing their livestock in the Kunene region are facing challenges, with many being non-functional or vandalized.
Several livestock quarantine camps have fallen victim to vandalism, posing significant obstacles for farmers to sell their animals in formal markets. The only functional facility, the Ehomba Community quarantine camp, situated more than 100 kilometres north of Opuwo, remains in good condition with a capacity for over 100 cattle. However, it is not being utilized for its intended purpose since MEATCO ceased operations in the area some years ago. Instead, it has been leased to a local businessman who operates an abattoir.
Constructed with assistance from the Millennium Challenge Account and inaugurated in 2000, these quarantine facilities were aimed at assisting farmers in the Northern Communal Areas with marketing their livestock and enhancing agricultural productivity. However, operations ceased in 2014 when Meatco halted activities due to the loss of the South African market following animal disease outbreaks.
Besides the veterinary cordon fence (VCF), non-operational abattoirs, lack of feedlots, limited livestock improvement, and low prices have been identified as key hindrances affecting livestock producers in the Northern Communal Areas.
To address these challenges, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Forestry has initiated an infrastructure development program, including the construction and upgrading of abattoirs and meat processing plants in various regions such as Katima Mulilo, Rundu, Oshakati, Eenhana, and Outapi. In the Kunene region, plans are underway to appoint a contractor to upgrade the Opuwo slaughterhouse and Omutambo Maowe quarantine farm, catering to livestock farmers in Kunene, Omusati, and Oshana regions.
Namibia’s livestock sector boasts over 2.5 million cattle, with 1.2 million located in the NCAs. However, the export of NCA cattle to international markets is constrained by the VCF, known as the red line, an age-old policy aimed at controlling infectious diseases among livestock. While this policy has sustained Namibia’s meat industry and facilitated exports to the EU and other markets, critics argue that it limits communal farmers’ access to lucrative domestic and international markets.- Namibia Daily News
