WINDHOEK – She will be remembered by Namibians as the driving force behind the implementation of Namibia’s world-renowned NamLITS traceability system for livestock and numerous other achievements to help put Namibia in a leader’s role regarding animal health. Dr Susanne Thalwitzer, Manager Meat Standards at the Meat Board of Namibia from January 2013 to September 2014,  confirmed her resignation to Farmers Forum and she will be heading to Germany at the end of October where she will continue her excep-tional work.

Apart from her impressive CV  she has built up since starting her studies in  2002 and com-pleting them in 2007 as  PhD student and Post doc at the Leibniz-Institute for Zoo- and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany, this impressive woman was also active in: Management of financial and human resources, Project management,  strategy development in animal health, animal welfare and food hygiene. She also acted in an advisory function in trade issues related to veterinary and SPS requirements (e.g. EU regulations, International standards, National legal framework) Collaboration with local, regional and international governmental institutions, industry repre-sentatives and NGOs, as well as certification  and inspection service, coordination of national discussion platforms and training and public awareness. From 2008  to 2013, she was  Coordinator of the FAN Meat Scheme at the Meat Board of Namibia and responsible for the management of the Farm Assured Namibian Meat Scheme, the revision and implementation of quality standards, support to the upgrade and implementation of the national livestock identification and traceability, establishing of the central distribution of livestock identification devices and database helpdesk, advisory func-tion to stakeholders and governmental institutions in livestock production and animal health and projekt management. She also did field research and laboratory work,  data collection and statistical analysis, educatory work with local livestock producers on human-wildlife conflict, conservation and biodiversity, local project management, supervision of local and international students, lectures to European and Namibian students, cooperation with local authorities, farmer communities and NGOs (wildlife conservation), and budget management Her education and training since February 2012  includes being a master student in Ani-mal/Human/Ecosysem Health at the University of Pretoria, South Afrika. (expected outcome: MSc, December 2014). From 2002 –2007, she did  a Postgraduate PhD study on  “Reproductive activity in cheetah females, cub survival and health of male and female cheetahs on Namibian farmland”, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, Mark: Magna cum laudae. Between 1995 and 2001, she studied Veterinary Medicine at the Freie Universitaet, Berlin and Ecole Nationale Veterinaire d’Alfort, Paris, France. From 1994 to 1995, she studied the French language and culture at the University Sorbonn, Paris. She was a member of the Veterinary Council of Namibia (VCN), Veterinary Association of Namibia (VAN)  and the Namibian Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS).