FMD takes a big bite out of vendors’ earnings

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) restrictions in the ǁKharas Region are slashing household incomes and stalling livestock sales.Food vendor Veronika Kolonelius described the daily struggle residents have faced since the outbreak was confirmed. “Even at home, it’s becoming difficult to make ends meet. Sometimes I struggle to even get a taxi,” she told Namibian Sun on Tuesday.Kolonelius said many customers preferred red meat, and her business was struggling as she tried to adapt. She said she understood the need to contain the outbreak, but its effects reached beyond businesses and into households.Another Keetmanshoop food vendor, Ruusa Iipinge, told Namibian Sun that red meat had previously made up a large part of her income, with supplies coming from nearby farmers. Movement restrictions disrupted that supply and forced her to switch to selling fish. Customers were used to eating red meat, she said, which made the change difficult and left her struggling to cover daily expenses.The restrictions are also hitting small-scale livestock farmers who rely on selling animals for an income.Gabriel Gertze, a goat farmer about 30 kilometres west of Grünau, told Namibian Sun his 217 goats had tested negative for foot-and-mouth disease, but movement restrictions had confined the herd to the kraal.He had planned to sell 80 goats next month, but the deal fell through when potential buyers became reluctant to proceed. Gertze said he did not know when he would be able to sell his animals and earn an income from his herd.He said his goats were being vaccinated, though he still needed to confirm the details of the programme with veterinary authorities.Livestock producers were waiting for further government guidance as restrictions continued to disrupt their trading plans, he said.The outbreak was confirmed on 23 September at a commercial farm in the Karasburg Veterinary District. Government partially eased the initial nationwide movement restrictions on 27 September, but strict controls remained in place in the ǁKharas Region. The outbreak is particularly significant because it is the first in the previously recognised foot-and-mouth disease-free zone without vaccination since the 1960s. A major epidemic began in 1961, with the last cases recorded in 1964.The agriculture ministry has announced a response that includes vaccinating eligible livestock in the designated containment zone, targeted culling, surveillance and movement controls. It has also confirmed that it is testing cattle, sheep, goats and pigs to establish the extent of the outbreak.Dry checkpointMeanwhile, a water shortage at an FMD checkpoint on the road from Keetmanshoop towards Grünau left vehicles unable to be disinfected on Tuesday.An official at the checkpoint said they had been experiencing problems since the morning, with water running out and preventing vehicle disinfection. Travellers could still step onto a disinfectant mat to disinfect their footwear, but vehicles could not be treated at the checkpoint.Motorists were directed to another disinfection point, and the vehicle in question was disinfected upon reaching Grünau. Vehicles entering Grünau from Karasburg, Keetmanshoop and areas further north are also being disinfected as part of measures to contain the outbreak.

FMD takes a big bite out of vendors’ earnings

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-15

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FMD takes a big bite out of vendors’ earnings

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-15

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