Windhoek
Never in the past forty years has the Namibian livestock and meat industry faced such a test of character as is the case now with the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at various locations in the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs).
Worsening the problem is the fact that the disease is rapidly spreading in a westerly direction. The government unleashed its first round of full armour to halt FMD last week when it immediately availed a national six-point emergency plan of more than N$208 million to prevent the further spreading of the disease, and ultimately erect control fences between Namibia and Angola to eradicate the disease. The Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry John Mutorwa, last week described the situation “as very grave and a national emergency” when he announced Cabinet’s plan to eradicate FMD, warning that officials who do not perform their jobs sufficiently at road blocks will face criminal prosecution.
Major and minor role players in the industry mobilised their own onslaught against FMD when the Meat Board donated N$6 million to the cause after an urgent Board meeting last week. (Read full story elsewhere). Hours later, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO ) of Meatco, Advocate Vekuii Rukoro, addressed members of the media and other role players in the agriculture industry like the Meat Board of Namibia, Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) and independent economists and farmers, expressing his concern over the FMD outbreak and the impact it could have on the agricultural sector if not addressed properly. Rukoro thinks President Hage Geingob should consider calling a national conference on agriculture, more specifically on the livestock and meat industry, to address some serious questions that are still unanswered. He did not specify the unanswered questions.
As owner of the only abattoirs in the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs) and also the only exporter of Namibian beef to Europe and outlets in South Africa, Rukoro expressed Meatco’s concerns about the outbreaks, saying:
“It is the biggest threat to the President’s signature policy intervention on poverty alleviation and job creation, not just in the Northern Communal Areas, but across the country.”
Rukoro added that since 70 per cent of Namibia’s population depends on agriculture, it will have a major negative direct and indirect impact on the sector. “If the epidemic is not effectively addressed it will turn into a national disaster of unforeseen proportions,” he said.
The Meatco CEO said the approach to the outbreak should not be the traditional approach of throwing money at the problem, but must be informed by the need to address the real roots of the problem. The movement of animals must also be effectively addressed so that FMD does not cross the Red Line into commercial farming areas. Rukoro emphasised the seriousness of the outbreak by saying if the disease crossed the Red Line, Namibia “will never be the same”
The Deputy Director of Animal Disease Control in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF), John Shoopala, said that the government will spend about N$119 million on the vaccination of close to 1.2 million cattle against FMD in the north-central regions of Namibia with immediate effect.
Caption:
Speakers …..L-R Estelle De Bruyn (on behalf of Ronelle Rademeyer of Republikein), Vehaka Tjimune (Meatco), Daniel Motinga (independent financial consultant), Mandi Smallhorne (Mail and Guardian), Adv Vekuii Rukoro (CEO Meatco) and Goliath Tujendapi (Meat Board) at Meatco’s Open Season last week. Picture: Deon Schlechter