National Assembly approves livestock and livestock products bill
According to the Meat Board of Namibia (MBN), the National Assembly recently approved the livestock and livestock products bill, which would result in amendments to the Meat Act.
Among the amendments is the declaration of chicken, dairy, eggs, hides, and skins as “controlled products.”
This is according to the Meat Board’s latest monthly Meat Flash, released on Friday. The MBN further emphasized that all affected sectors indicated that some input from the Meat Board is expected, whether in the form of sustainable growth or additional functions.
“The funding of the functions of the sectors will be done on a similar basis to that of cattle, sheep, and goats. The proposed legislation has yet to be published in the Government Gazette. As soon as this happens, consultations with the respective sectors will begin in earnest,” MBN said in its latest Meat Flash.
In a related development, the Meat Board highlighted that the Directorate of Veterinary Services’ Stock Brand campaign is an attempt to clean the database.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform’s Directorate of Veterinary Services seeks to preserve and promote optimal animal health, productivity, and reproduction to guarantee that Namibian livestock and livestock products have secure access to local and global markets.
“During an investigation, it was indicated that there is a high number of unused stock brands in the database. All producers are, therefore, called upon to submit the stock brands and herd information form before 31 October this year. This form can be obtained from local state veterinarian offices and is available on the Meat Board website,” noted the MBN.
“The information collected will be used to update the stock brand system, the traceability system (NamLITS), and the Meat Board producer system. Furthermore, the herd numbers information will be used to update and improve census data. The cooperation of producers in this regard is necessary for the success of this campaign,” the MBN revealed.
Furthermore, the MBN increased its contributions to assist the Directorate of Veterinary Services with maintaining the veterinary cordon fence, notably employing a four-person maintenance team. The team’s goal is to help the current Directorate Veterinary teams maintain the veterinary cordon fence, specifically the electrified sections endorsed by the Meat Board.
“The Namibian elephant population has grown to such an extent that breaches of the veterinary cordon fence occur daily, and the only method to prevent the damage is to electrify the fence,” it said.
