Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, said there is a need to equalise economic opportunities in the country’s meat industry, north and south of the Veterinary Cordon Fence (redline).
Speaking to Nampa at the inauguration ceremony of newly elected Meat Board of Namibia board members here on Wednesday, Schlettwein said Namibians should not allow a situation where the cordon fence erodes economic opportunities on either side of the fence.
He emphasised the fence does not hinder the government’s ability to find international markets for meat above the redline, noting currently meat from the northern communal areas is being sold to China and Africa.
Schlettwein noted the veterinary cordon fence is only an animal disease control prevention, especially in the event of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak which has a high risk of killing animals and spreading to areas where there is no vaccinated animal population, South of the fence.
“The meat that we eat from northern communal areas is not infected or poisonous… it is not. It goes through a very stringent inspection process. The perception that meat from the North is lower quality meat is wrong and I do not know where it comes from. Currently, we are eating meat in Windhoek from Katima Mulilo abattoir,” he noted.
Schlettwein further explained that the current High Court case is an issue of Northern area cattle owners not being able to consume the meat South of the country, stressing that it is a domestic issue and does not hinder international market access for northern communal areas farmers.
In a case filed on 26 May 2021, Affirmative Repositioning activist, Job Amupanda, is seeking a court order to have the 1896 colonial demarcation removed, declared illegal and unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, Schlettwein in 2021 indicated that removing the fence could be catastrophic to the entire beef industry in the country, which is estimated to be valued at more than N.dollars 7 billion per year, in defence of animal health.
The new Meat Board of Namibia board of directors for a period of three years include Lucia Hamuteya (Chairperson); Paul Klein; Jessy Kamwi; Sartorius Von Bach; Rosalinda Katjivena; Julene Meyer; Annascy Mwanyangapo; Willen Kekwiyu; Patrick Liebernberg and Christopher Mberema.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency