Namibia is battling a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak amid EU restrictions

The Directorate of Veterinary Services of Namibia confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease on a commercial farm in the Karasburg veterinary district (//Kharas Region) on September 23, 2026. As of October 5, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah reported the registration of 127 positive cases across 15 farms after inspecting 29,313 livestock animals. The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform specified that, as of October 6, the virus had been confirmed on 17 farms based on 129 positive tests.

On October 7, foot-and-mouth disease was laboratory-confirmed in cattle on Kalala Island in the Zambezi Region. In this regard, the ministry imposed restrictions in the Zambezi Region, including a ban on the movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their raw products, the cancellation of livestock movement permits, as well as the suspension of auctions, markets, mass events, and slaughter, except for export abattoirs complying with quarantine requirements. Emergency vaccination has begun in the affected area, and checkpoints have been deployed.

Against the backdrop of the outbreak, the European Union temporarily suspended the importation into the bloc of certain types of fresh and processed meat from the NA-1 export zone starting October 5. The restrictions affected products from cattle, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed livestock animals, including biltong and jerky. At the same time, the ban is not complete: the import of certain processed products with risk-mitigating treatment is permitted, as is the import of fresh meat batches certified before September 23 during a 90-day transition period.

The situation has had a serious impact on the domestic market and the processing sector. Meat shortages and panic buying by consumers are observed in Windhoek, while market traders report a drop in revenue. The Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) sent about 400 production workers on a three-week paid leave. The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) and associations support the quarantine measures, emphasizing their necessity for restoring the disease-free status of the territory.