Goat exporter calls it quits after 54 years

After 54 years of exporting goats to South Africa, the André Rossouw Trust (ART) of Maltahöhe has called time on its operations, citing rising costs and growing difficulties in getting livestock cleared for export.

“Everything has a beginning and an end. It’s just a shame the government is making it difficult. I’m sad, but relieved so that my children don’t have to struggle,” André Rossouw told Republikein.

Rossouw’s father established the business 71 years ago, while Rossouw’s three children are now also part of the trust.

The decision to stop came after a truck hired to transport goats was left waiting at the loading facility while the business awaited blood-test results for 150 goats sampled 10 days earlier.

“When the lorry stopped on Friday, it was the end of ART because I don’t have blood results from 150 goats that were pulled 10 days ago,” Rossouw said.

The truck remained at the loading dock throughout Friday, with no indication of when the results would be available. Rossouw subsequently released the truck because he could not continue paying for transport without knowing when the goats would be cleared for loading.

The development comes as the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) highlights the significant costs faced by local goat farmers exporting livestock to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa.

According to the NAU, exporting a full load of 800 goats to the KZN market costs about N$388,155, equivalent to approximately N$485.20 per goat. This represents about 30% of the average auction price.

Many communal farmers depend on the traditional KZN market to sell their goats.

“What worries me most is that many of our emerging goat farmers make a living from as few as 100 animals. What a great pity that they are being taxed so heavily. They should be protected instead,” Rossouw said.

A vital export market

Rossouw said the KZN market remains critical because Namibia has a limited domestic market for goat meat.

“There is no goat market like the one in KZN anywhere else in the world, and anyone who wants to replace the market has to go and create a market,” he said.

“Namibia has a negligible market for goat meat. We have to export our goats live.”

Rossouw said ART was the only Namibian exporter to establish a goat supermarket in KZN, while other outlets were owned by South Africans and supplied by Namibian buyers.

The business initially transported goats by rail before moving to livestock trucks.

“We started with goats on trains until we later sent the first livestock trucks with goats to KwaZulu-Natal,” he said.

However, Rossouw said the export process had become increasingly difficult.

“It became impossible to operate the market sustainably with all the hurdles we had to overcome to get the goats into South Africa.”

He recalled a time when veterinary procedures were considerably more straightforward.

“Veterinary Services drew blood from our goats by appointment – up to a thousand in a day – and it worked out at approximately N$2 per head,” he said.

Rossouw said the cost of blood testing had since increased significantly. Two months ago, the laboratory blood test cost N$22.50 per goat, while about N$18.40 was charged by the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (LLPBN).

He said the cost of the test agent for Malta fever increased from about N$15 to N$79.20 per goat at the beginning of July. Combined with the laboratory fee, this brought the testing cost to N$101.70 per goat.

An additional N$15.33 per goat is required for the export permit, excluding ear tags, transport and other associated expenses.

Rossouw also raised concerns about delays in blood sampling.

“They may not have drawn blood for a month. I still don’t know whose fault it was, but the harsh reality is people were negligent and it’s costing the country millions of dollars,” he said.

LLPBN backs veterinary capacity

The Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (LLPBN) said effective veterinary services are fundamental to Namibia’s animal health status, international trade and access to export markets.

The board said it has consistently invested in strengthening the country’s veterinary capacity and supports the Central Veterinary Laboratory by collecting and administering industry contributions, at no cost to the industry, to procure critical laboratory reagents required for export testing.

During the most recent interruption to operations at the Central Veterinary Laboratory, the LLPBN made an emergency contribution of N$2 million to ensure essential export testing could continue.

According to the board, the intervention helped minimise disruptions to Namibia’s livestock exports and maintain confidence among international trading partners. The N$2 million will be recovered from exporters, as available funding for the current financial year has already been committed to foot-and-mouth disease prevention.

Looking ahead, the LLPBN said it will support the continuation of European Union veterinary inspection programmes to ensure Namibia remains compliant with EU import requirements and avoids unnecessary interruptions to trade.

The board will administer the programme, which it said further demonstrates its commitment to supporting the livestock industry and safeguarding valuable export markets.

The LLPBN is also leading efforts to establish sustainable funding through industry levy contributions to support the long-term operation and sustainability of the Directorate of Veterinary Services.

The initiative recognises that a well-resourced veterinary authority is essential to protecting Namibia’s animal health status, meeting international sanitary requirements and maintaining access to key export markets.

The board said these measures demonstrate its commitment to strengthening Namibia’s veterinary capacity, protecting the integrity of the livestock value chain and ensuring the long-term sustainability, resilience and competitiveness of the livestock sector.

For Rossouw, however, the immediate decision has been made.

He thanked the goat farmers who had supported him over the years, as ART closes a chapter that began more than five decades ago.