Industry warned against foot and mouth vaccines

Namibia's entire beef export machine could collapse if foot-and-mouth vaccinations creep south of the veterinary fence, and the EU made that crystal clear.

Why vaccination wrecks premium access

• Namibia holds an FMD-free-without-vaccination status south of the redline.
• Losing that tag would lock the country out of the EU, UK, Norway, China, and the US markets.
• Only a third of Namibian beef gets consumed domestically.
• Alternative markets like Saudi Arabia cannot match premium price levels.

The EU spelled out the consequences

• Beef represented 59% of Namibia's agri-food exports to the EU in 2024.
• That trade totaled N$1.6 billion, according to EU deputy head of mission Ian Dupont.
• Dupont explained that vaccination complicates disease-free surveillance.
• Europe flat-out refuses imports from countries using the FMD vaccine.

Meatco's north-south split

• Meatco's head of corporate affairs, Rosa Thobias, confirmed the EU would reject vaccinated beef.
• Beef sourced north of the veterinary cordon fence goes to Ghana, DRC, Angola, and South Africa.
• African markets cannot absorb Namibia's full beef supply.
• Namibia Agriculture Union says premium exports sustain the whole livestock sector.

Illegal vaccination gets zero tolerance

• Minister Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi called vaccination a last-resort option.
• Any jab south of the fence is illegal and implies smuggled vaccines.
• The Directorate of Veterinary Services will cull illegally vaccinated cattle.
• Swavet's Goi Geurtse confirmed no private entity has ever been allowed to stock the vaccine.