WINDHOEK – Namibia has hauled out its biggest gun in a fierce battle to compel South Africa to relax stringent new veterinary requirements on livestock exports from Namibia.
Namibia has called on the world-renowned veterinary expert, Dr Herbert Schneider to present the country’s case on March 7 to the South African Red Meat producers Organisation (RPO) and the Department of Veterinary Services, it was revealed exclusively to New Era yesterday. The three-man Namibian team will be led by the acting director in the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS), Dr John Shoopola, accompanied by Schneider and the chairperson of the Livestock Producers Forum, Mecki Schneider. The aim is to convince the South African authorities to rethink and postpone the set deadline of May 1 for the new export requirements that has been described as “impossible and with far-reaching consequences for the Namibian livestock export industry.” Schneider is an international veterinary consultant and World Veterinary Organisation accepted veterinary services assessor of AgriVET International in Namibia. World Veterinary Organisation or ‘the Office International des Epizooties’ (OIE), is the inter-governmental organisation responsible for improving animal health worldwide. It is recognised as a reference organisation by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and in 2013 had a total of 178 member countries.
The proposed new regulations require that livestock destined for South African markets must come from the OIE declared lung sickness-free zone, as well as health tests on individual animals for certain diseases and isolation of animals in quarantine facilities before exporting.
It also includes individual identification also of sheep, proof of vaccinations against anthrax at least 14 days, but not longer than 12 month ahead, proof of treatment of internal and external parasites, as well as proof of origin of herds free of any sicknesses. Namibian experts have pointed out that some of the diseases that must be tested for have never been detected in Namibia’s Food-and-Mouth-Disease free areas.
The Meat Board conducted a study on the cost issue in relation to the new requirements and the results show that it would place an “enormously high financial burden on Namibian farmers who are battling to recover from a debilitating drought.” Dr Schneider has served for 42 years in the DVS of Namibia and inter alia held the post of Director of the DVS and the Principal Secretary for Agriculture, Nature Conservation, Veterinary Services and Sea Fisheries.
He also served the OIE as vice-president, as Africa president and immediate past-president. He was chairman of the OIE ad hoc group on evaluation of veterinary services, chairperson of the OIE ad hoc expert group on anti-microbial resistance, and member of the OIE ad hoc group on the evaluation of aquatic veterinary services, to name a few of his accomplishments.
Namibia exported a total of 389 205 live sheep and goats to South Africa last year, as well as 252 710 cattle and 35 424 pigs. Schneider says if these new requirements are to be implemented after the final round of discussions with their South African counterparts on March 7 it would result in a disastrous situation for Namibian producers. “The requirements for individual sheep are ludicrous and we can’t give the new rules a nod as we will shoot ourselves in the foot. There must be some way out of this and all our hopes are now on reaching an agreement to first postpone the proposed deadline and then discuss the other issues on March 7 at the meeting with the South African authorities. Namibia is a net export country and its producers rely on the income from this valuable source. If implemented as proposed, we will be doomed,” he said categorically.
By Deon Schlechter