NCA beef exported to Ghana is safe - Schlettwein

Beef exports from Namibia's northern communal areas (NCAs) do not carry foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and pose no risk of introducing the disease in market countries, in particular the Ghanaian market.

Agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein said this after the ministry learnt - "with dismay" - of allegations circulating on social media about the safety of Namibian beef products exported from the NCA abattoirs to Ghana.

"These offensively false and malicious representations were allegedly propagated to Ghanaian authorities by a group of Namibian commercial farmers, whose identities are still unknown to the ministry."

However, he said the ministry is in consultation with the relevant Ghanaian authorities about the allegations.

Deliberate falsehood

According to him, the allegations and efforts to jeopardise market access for Namibian beef into Ghana had been brought to their attention through a bi-national commission meeting held in Accra late last year.

"It was resolved that they are groundless, and the matter was thus resolved, and continued market access for Namibian beef into Ghana remains uninterrupted."

Schlettwein said the allegations are a deliberate false misrepresentation, and the ministry condemns them and their agitators.

"Namibia prides itself as a premier producer and net exporter of free-range quality and disease-free beef products on the back of world-class veterinary, phytosanitary and food safety standards."

Regulations in place

Government has implemented a strict livestock production and animal movement regulatory framework and vaccination programme, and has invested in abattoir facilities in the NCAs to provide an environment for safe and reliable market access for producers in these areas, he said.

All beef exports from the NCAs are exported under commodity-based trade regulations for export-approved abattoirs, based on the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards.

He said veterinary and product-safety standards at NCA export-accredited abattoirs are geared to ensure product and consumer safety.

Highest standards

The minister said the watertight product-safety protocols are an assurance to markets at home and abroad that Namibian livestock products from NCAs and the rest of the country subscribe to the highest standards of WOAH.

The allegations should be perceived for what they are, he said: "False and desperate posturing by disgruntled entities hell-bent to disrupt market access for products from the NCA".

Schlettwein warned that individuals or groups should stop propagating false information and misrepresentations with immediate effect.

He further assured the Ghanaian and all Namibian markets, as well as the public, that beef from the NCA abattoirs is as disease-free as similar products from commercial areas of the country.

‘Malicious and absurd’

Meanwhile, the Livestock Producers Organisation (LPO) of Namibia has said it is alarmed by the recent allegations and supports government’s intention to urgently investigate, as this indicates serious economic sabotage.

Chairperson Thinus Pretorius said suggestions that “white farmers” want to see the demise of Meatco are malicious and absurd.

He added these the intention of the allegations is to shift the attention away from genuine concerns and efforts to address issues that might be obstacles preventing Meatco from benefitting all meat producers in every corner of the country.

Pretorius said the allegations should be condemned in the strongest possible way, as they intend to create division in the livestock sector, especially among producers in the north and south.

“The agricultural sector must unite and not be divided, as this is the foundation of nation-building and national unity.”