Namibia Loses FMD-Free Status as EU Suspends Fresh Meat Imports

Namibia has lost the foot-and-mouth disease-free status of its previously recognized free zone after an outbreak in the Karasburg area, triggering immediate trade consequences for one of southern Africa’s export-oriented livestock sectors.

The outbreak was confirmed on September 23 at a commercial farm in the Karasburg State Veterinary District in the //Kharas Region. Namibia notified the World Organisation for Animal Health and imposed movement controls and an export ban on cloven-hoofed animals and their products.

The EU has suspended fresh meat from the affected trade zone

The European Union has temporarily suspended imports of fresh meat from cattle, sheep and goats, along with relevant farmed and wild ungulates and certain biltong or jerky-type products from Namibia’s previously FMD-free zone. Processed meat subjected to the most stringent risk-mitigation treatment remains eligible.

WOAH suspended the zone’s FMD-free status with effect from September 22. The EU set September 23, the date of the confirmed outbreak, as the closing date for the affected commodities.

Some consignments already certified can still move

Fresh meat consignments certified by Namibia before September 23 may still enter the EU for a 90-day period, subject to EU border-control decisions. The restriction is an animal-health measure and does not change Namibia’s preferential tariff access under the EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement.

For Namibian producers and processors, the commercial impact extends beyond the infected farm. Export eligibility, animal movements, slaughter planning and market access now depend on outbreak containment and the eventual restoration of recognized disease status.