Meat Board approves ‘energizers’ to protect Namibia-Botswana border against elephants
The Meat Board of Namibia at its latest meeting has approved the purchase of about N$900,000 worth of ‘energizers’ and other accessories to protect the Namibia-Botswana border fence against elephant encroachment.
The decision to purchase the energizers was made last November, according to the Board, however, the installation of the electrification equipment is still subject to a suitable security contract which the government must confirm with an on-site security firm.
According to the board, elephant intrusion from Botswana is creating a significant problem with the integrity of the fence and the protection of Namibia’s internationally confirmed foot and mouth disease-free zone and must therefore be maximally protected.
Meanwhile, in its latest Meat Flash, the Meat Board said that it assisted with the visit of Gatsby Africa’s Livestock department to Namibia livestock sector during the week of 5 to 11 March.
The Gatsby Africa (GA) is a non-governmental organisation based in Kenya that intends to develop an efficient and organised local livestock sector with a consistent supply of quality livestock sourced from pastoral areas, according to the Meat Flash.
Accordingly, their livestock programme in Kenya has been implementing and testing various animal health service delivery and strategic partnerships with large input companies to ensure that farmers access the correct information and resources.
The purpose of the visit was to expose the success stories in the Namibian Livestock industry and how it geared itself to being the leader in Africa in terms of global exports, the Board said.
“The Meat Board, in collaboration with Global Quality System Consulting, organized their itinerary, speakers, and visits to several strategic stakeholders. They were exposed to the roles and functions of the Meat Board, the operations of both the NNFU and the NAU, and the functions of the Namibia Stud Breeders Association. They visited the Ovitoto communal area, where they interacted with communal livestock producers, the Hochveld WLA auctions, and the Hochveld feedlot and Beefcor Abattoir at Okahandja,” the Board stated in their Meat Flash this month.
