Meat Board adjusts sheep marketing scheme
The closure of Brukarros Meat Processors in Keetmanshoop forced the Meat Board of Namibia to make adjustments with regard to the local slaughter requirements of the Sheep Marketing Scheme.
As a result, only Natural Namibian Meat Packers, Aranos (as export abattoir) and Farmers’ Meat Market in Mariental are left and jointly they only slaughter 500 sheep for the local market once a week.
Farmers’ Meat Market has been registered since 13 August to slaughter for export three days a week. The local slaughter requirement for sheep exports also considers the slaughter of sheep at accredited local abattoirs.
According to the Meat Chronicle report, this measure is valid until 15 November 2018 and implies that a producer who has supported the local slaughterhouse during the past six months, can export a similar number of animals.
Furthermore, the Board, in collaboration with the industry and together with producers and abattoirs, have been tasked to simultaneously develop a long-term proposal for the growth of the sheep industry as well as assessing the impact of the long-term proposal on the different sectors.
Meanwhile, the Meat Chronicle shows that the long term sheep marketing trend shows a gradual reduction in the marketing of sheep. About 595,411 heads of sheep were marketed in 2017 compared to the 588,213 marketed in 2018.
“Despite slight growth in live exports and butchers, the overall number of sheep marketed during the period under review, declined compared to the same period in 2017. The decline is mainly attributed to a weaker performance in the first half of the year. Third quarter figures improved to culminate in a modest decline in total marketing,” the report stated.
