Namibia: Veterinary cordon fence is no more

02 March 2010, New Era
URL: http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=9710&sid=9797c226830b82d63d77e46d3e45817f

Windhoek:  The veterinary cordon fence that pierced through the side of northern communal farmers is no more.  Cabinet has approved a first-ever conclusive policy that virtually removed the cordon fence, opening up the northern communal farmers’ gates to the international meat market.

However, it is going to be a while before northern communal farmers can sell their meat to international markets because Government first has to strengthen disease control measures in the communal areas according to international standards.  For decades, northern communal farmers have dreaded the cordon fence, continuing to associate it with apartheid colonialism, rather than the control of animal diseases like lung sickness and foot-and-mouth.

Cabinet approved a policy to remove the fence at a meeting on February 9, saying, “In the last 40 years there has never been an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the central and western northern communal areas and lung sickness remains under control through annual vaccinations of cattle.”

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry would implement the approved policy, – ‘Policy for eradication of trans-boundary animal diseases in the northern communal areas’.

Removal of the cordon fence, says Cabinet, would “allow livestock owners access to more lucrative domestic, regional and international markets for their livestock and livestock products”.

Helping communal farmers to access lucrative markets, argues Cabinet, is set to increase the agricultural contribution to the economy by 20 percent, from the current 8 percent.

First, however, Government would set up measures to ensure that the removal of the cordon fence accomplishes the intended results. Measures include having laboratories in the region to conduct tests and diagnosis of foot and mouth diseases and lung sickness, having capable surveillance and monitoring systems of international standard. It is nearly six years since the then Minister of Agriculture, Helmut Angula, informed northern communities that the redline – as the veterinary cordon fence is referred to – would be removed this year.

“There is Vision 2030 in place. In the same vein, we have the redline issue. We want our region to be a redline-free region by 2010,” Angula said in 2004.

“The health of Namibian livestock is important for the development of the Namibian economy since agriculture contributes approximately between 6 and 8 percent to the GDP, which can be increased up to 20 percent if the northern communal areas were to attain disease freedom status equivalent to the southern regions,” says Cabinet.

Out of 2.3 million cattle in Namibia, 1.2 million cattle reside in the northern communal areas and do not form part of the national account.

The veterinary cordon fence divides Namibia into three distinct animal disease control zones in accordance with the guidelines of the International Animal Health Authority. Caprivi Region and the constituencies of Mukwe and Ndiyona in eastern Kavango are classified as foot-and-mouth disease infected zone, because of the presence of African buffalo known to be a carrier of foot-and-mouth disease. Western Kavango, northern parts of the Oshikoto Region and the Ohangwena, Oshana, Omusati and Kunene regions are classified as foot-and-mouth disease protection zones. Other regions are free of the disease and the cordon fence is set up to protect and control the spilling of the disease from other regions.

With the approval of the new policy, Cabinet has also directed that the ministry prepare to apply for international recognition that northern communal areas are re-classified.

A northern communal areas livestock database would be created to implement a comprehensive traceability, animal disease surveillance and disease prevention strategies.

Cabinet noted that agriculture and more specifically livestock production contributes significantly to Namibia’s Gross Domestic Product and foreign earnings, and that over 80 percent of agricultural production is animal based, while 70 percent of the population relies directly or indirectly on livestock for their livelihoods.