Import conditions for Botswana cattle approved

ELLANIE SMIT



The agriculture ministry and its Botswana counterpart have approved conditions for importing live cattle from Botswana.

Meatco's acting chairperson, Ronald Kubas, recently said that the company intended to import cattle from Botswana because of the depletion of Namibian herds due to drought.

The Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) objected to the Namibian proposal because that country was also experiencing a devastating drought decimating its herds and threatening beef export deals with China and some European countries.

Meatco said the import conditions were approved middle January.



Under pressure

Meatco has indicated that it is under pressure to deliver meat to local and international markets following severe droughts for the last seven years.

“It is important to note that while the Namibian farmers are hardest hit by the drought and the animals need to recover, Meatco cannot ignore that our clients need to receive products that are of the highest quality that we are known for,” the company said.

Meatco said the Namibian cattle producer remains an important stakeholder and the company would therefore continue to source animals from Namibian producers. However, it emphasised that it would not be limited to buying cattle from Namibian farmers only.



Standards

Meatco's senior manager for quality assurance and safety Dr Adrianiatus Maseke said Botswana and Namibia have the same standard of animal health status and access to the EU market.

“It is only natural that we go to Botswana. That way farmers in Namibia and Botswana can complement one another, as producers, to start building sustainable regional value chains.”

He added that given the challenges posed by drought and other external factors, Meatco was looking at opportunities in Botswana.

Namibian farmers are preparing for rebuilding their decimated herds if they receive good rains in the next two months.



Inspection

According to Meatco its management last year visited farms in Botswana to inspect compliance systems and scout for export opportunities.

The exercise was done in close consultation with the Botswana veterinary office.

Meatco said it established valuable communication links with the Botswana veterinary office, thus ensuring that animals are always visibly free from ticks and external parasites when presented for inspection. Farmers can treat cattle well in advance due to the withdrawal period.

Each truckload must have a permit, whose validity indicates the issue date as well as the expiry date (usually valid for 30 days).

Upon the arrival of the cattle in Namibia, Meatco would ensure that a Namibian veterinary official is on its premises to break the seal while offloading takes place under stringent supervision.

Botswana farmers marketing to Meatco are required to apply for health certificates, which must be attached to the list of identification for verification purposes (such as the ear tag numbers). Farmers should also make sure that the information provided on the health certificate application matches that provided by Meatco.

“It is important to once again emphasise that Meatco cannot compete in terms of volumes, but what sets us apart is our niche markets where we give emphasis to high-end consumers who want beef that is hormone and residue-free,” Meatco said.