Namibia: FMD Restrictions Partially Lifted

What the report says

Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has partially eased movement restrictions put in place after a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the ||Kharas region. The update, reported by The Namibian and distributed by AllAfrica, came after livestock traced from the infected farm tested negative for FMD, according to the ministry’s Directorate of Veterinary Services.

Chief veterinary officer Dr Kenneth Shoombe said the outbreak was detected in the Karasburg Veterinary District and that authorities had been carrying out surveillance, movement controls and tracing of animals linked to the case. The ministry said the disease appeared to remain confined to ||Kharas, with no evidence from the traceability system suggesting spread north of the veterinary cordon fence.

As a result, the ministry lifted restrictions on the movement of cloven-hoofed animals and some related products in areas north of the redline, and said protocols for moving certain processed commodities such as cooked meat, pasteurised milk and butter could resume under the Animal Health Act. It also loosened some rules on raw meat, purchased meat, forage and feed products in areas south of the fence, though ||Kharas remains excluded from some of those changes.

The move is significant for livestock producers and meat markets because FMD restrictions can disrupt trade and transport. More limited controls remain in place for some animal movements and products, including requirements for veterinary permits, testing, isolation and documentation in certain cases.