EU Suspends Namibian Beef Imports Over Disease

The European Union has suspended imports of fresh Namibian beef and other livestock products following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), threatening a major export market for Namibia’s meat industry.

The EU delegation in Namibia announced the suspension on Monday, saying the measure covered fresh meat from cattle, sheep and goats, as well as meat from relevant farmed and wild hoofed animals and certain processed meat products.

Processed meat that has undergone the most severe risk-mitigating treatment will remain eligible for entry into the EU, according to the delegation.

Namibia reported its first FMD outbreak in its main commercial livestock zone in 60 years last month. The outbreak prompted the government to impose a nationwide ban on livestock movement and meat exports.

The EU is Namibia’s largest beef market, accounting for more than 80 percent of the country’s beef exports.

EU ambassador Ana Beatriz Martins told Namibian media that about 10 million kilogrammes of Namibian beef are exported to Europe each year. She said about a quarter of the 40,000 direct jobs linked to exports to Europe could be affected by the suspension.

The economic impact comes as Namibia works to contain the outbreak, which was declared in the southern part of the country on September 22 and has since spread to 11 farms, according to officials.

The agriculture ministry said its response includes increased surveillance, tracing and testing, restrictions on animal movement, veterinary roadblocks and strengthened biosecurity measures.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious livestock disease that causes fever and blisters around the hooves and mouth, making it difficult for infected animals to feed and potentially leading to death.

The disease has also affected several other southern African countries, including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

During the last major FMD outbreak in the EU in 2001, more than six million animals were culled, according to the EU delegation.

SOURCE: AFP