The South African government has lifted the movement standstill that was imposed on live cattle for the control of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks in the country. As a result of this new development, the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) under the ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) has notified farmers, exporters and all stakeholders that they can now export their cattle.
The DVS has however cautioned that the following conditions will need to be strictly followed, for all trucks that are transporting cattle, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed animals from Namibia to South Africa.
The conditions are as follow:
- All trucks transporting the above mentioned animals should be registered with DVS
- Upon offloading of animals in South Africa, trucks must be cleaned and disinfected by individuals/entities accredited by the South African Veterinary authority before returning to Namibia with or without loading other products.
- Disinfected trucks should be issued with a cleaning and disinfection certificate which for one consignment only and must be presented to Namibia`s veterinary border officials
- Trucks without valid cleaning and disinfection certificates will be refused entry into Namibia
- At the next loading off animals into Namibia for exportation to South Africa , the Cleaning and Disinfection Certificate previously issued to the specific truck in South Africa must be handed to the attending veterinary official, failure to comply with this requirement, the specific truck will be disqualified from transporting animals to South Africa
- Importers of livestock feed from South Africa are also reminded that vehicles must be cleaned and disinfected before loading, the Disinfection Certificate is for one consignment only and must be presented to veterinary officials at the borders.
For further inquiry regarding the lifting of the suspension, the DVS can be contacted at: 061-208 7503 or 061 208 790/1.