By Lylie Happiness
Windhoek, 16 May 2024| | The Omutambo Omawe quarantine camp in the Omusati region has remained non-operational since Meatco ceased operations in 2015. This sprawling facility, spanning over 30,000 hectares and divided into 31 camps, has not seen any cattle from the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs) for slaughter in a decade, except for 75 state-owned cattle used for testing quarantined animals for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and other animal diseases. Community members have expressed frustration with both the age-old VCF policy and the poor state of livestock marketing facilities in the region.
According to officials at the camp, three camps at the quarantine farm are in good working order and ready to accommodate cattle for the market. Thimotheus Kativa, a representative from Meatco, mentioned that the company is in the process of resuming operations through commodity-based trade. This approach involves purchasing livestock from farmers in the Omusati region and surrounding areas for quarantine in local camps before being transported to Meatco-operated export abattoirs in Rundu and Katima Mulilo. Currently, the nearest Oshakati abattoir is leased to a private operator.
The non-operation of the facility has caused discontent among many farmers who feel marginalized in marketing their livestock. The lack of grazing areas, compounded by vast tracts of fenced quarantine land, has led to conflicts as farmers’ animals compete for limited grazing. Farmers have repeatedly appealed to the government to allow them to graze their animals in the quarantine camps, especially during droughts.
The Members of Parliament committee have been informed that the privately run Outapi abattoir, under the Namibia Liberation Struggle Association, has also faced disruptions since signing an agreement with the government in 2014. Equipment issues have led to operational disruptions, leaving farmers without a profitable market for their livestock. The construction of the Ongwediva meat processing plant, intended to add value to meat products in the area, has also stalled. Consequently, many meat suppliers now source products for local retailers south of the redline where facilities are available.
Members of Parliament from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration are currently visiting the Northern Communal Areas to conduct oversight following a petition calling for the urgent revitalization of the livestock market in the area. They are meeting stakeholders in Outapi, Omusati region, who have also expressed concerns about the VCF policy and the state of livestock marketing facilities, leaving over 2000 livestock without a market in the area.- Namibia Daily News
