Meat Board urges producers to market livestock before next rainy season
The Meat Board has urged producers to plan marketing of their livestock from now up to the next rainy season as the country is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts ever and chances for average, to above-average rainfall for the current season are slim.
The entity said that the planning should include the immediate selling of non-productive and old female animals and the early weaning of calves and younger animals that will suffer during the winter season.
“Feeding animals, especially cattle, is expensive and producers must not shy away from seeking expert advice from feeding companies regarding feeding during a drought and the feeding of young animals,” the Meat Board said.
Furthermore, during its most recent meeting, the entity approved an additional condition with regard to the export of sheep under the sheep marketing scheme. To prevent the export of sheep that are eligible for slaughtering, the Namibian sheep export abattoirs must pay sheep prices to producers which may not differ more than an amount or percentage compared to the South African reference price.
The envisaged date of implementation is 1 May, by which time technical detail should have been established. Sheep exporter abattoirs currently pay sheep prices that comply with the decision of the board.
