NAMIBIA – Namibia has lifted its ban on live poultry and bird imports from South Africa, following a previous suspension triggered by an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in September 2023, according to a recent statement from the Namibian Ministry of Agriculture, as reported by Reuters.
The southern African nation, which consumes around 2,500 metric tons of chicken per month, had heavily relied on poultry imports from its neighboring country.
The ban had created significant challenges for Namibia’s poultry supply chain, forcing the country to ramp up its local production, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Over the past five years, local poultry production has seen steady growth, partly in response to these import restrictions.
In addition to resuming imports from South Africa, Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture also announced the suspension of live bird and uncooked poultry product imports from Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state.
This decision follows an outbreak of the avian Newcastle disease in that region.
The ministry stated that any consignments containing poultry products from the affected Brazilian state, packed on or after June 18—the date the suspension took effect—would be either returned or destroyed at the cost of the importer.
Namibia’s largest poultry producer, Namibia Poultry Industries (NPI), has encouraged local producers to use the current situation as an opportunity to demonstrate the country’s capability to achieve self-sufficiency in meeting domestic poultry demand.
Recent outbreaks of avian influenza in parts of Europe have further reinforced the need for Namibia to maintain and expand its local production capacity, reducing dependency on external sources for poultry products.
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