Agriculture

Namibia Halts Livestock Movement and Beef Exports Following FMD Outbreak

BirrMetrics · 4 hours ago · Read the Full Story on BirrMetrics
Namibia Halts Livestock Movement and Beef Exports Following FMD Outbreak
AI SUMMARY

Namibia has declared an emergency suspension of all livestock movement, slaughter, trade, and meat exports following a confirmed foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in its southern disease-free zone.

  • Namibia's Ministry of Agriculture executed an emergency suspension of livestock movement, slaughter, trade, and meat exports due to a confirmed foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.
  • Routine veterinary surveillance on September 22, 2026, identified 63 cattle with clinical FMD symptoms at a commercial farm in the Karasburg State Veterinary District within the //Karas Region.
  • Laboratory diagnostics at the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Windhoek on September 23 confirmed ten of 11 submitted tissue and blood samples positive for the virus.
  • The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) suspended Namibia’s disease-free status effective September 22, 2026.
  • The Directorate of Veterinary Services activated the National FMD Contingency Plan under the Animal Health Act of 2011.
  • Measures include a complete nationwide prohibition on the movement and trade of cloven-hoofed livestock, such as cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.
  • Federal directives halted livestock slaughtering across commercial export abattoirs, municipal slaughterhouses, informal local markets, and public gatherings.
  • Import, export, and international in-transit shipping of live cloven-hoofed animals and raw meat products are suspended until further notice.
  • Security control checkpoints and disinfection roadblocks have been established along major transport arteries, including routes toward Windhoek.
  • State officials urged livestock producers to report suspect clinical symptoms immediately to regional veterinary offices.