Namibia is beginning to loosen some of the sweeping restrictions imposed after foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was detected in its southern cattle-producing region. So far, expanded surveillance has found the virus only in the Karasburg Veterinary District, although testing and traceability work are continuing.
The outbreak was first detected Sept. 22, when veterinary officials found 63 cattle showing clinical signs of FMD during routine surveillance in Karasburg. Eleven animals were sampled, with 10 testing positive at Namibia’s Central Veterinary Laboratory the following day.
The affected farm is located within Namibia’s internationally recognized FMD-free zone. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has suspended Namibia’s FMD-free status for its zone where vaccination is not practiced, effective Sept. 22, the date the outbreak was detected.
The U.S. also responded to the outbreak this week. On Sept. 29, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued an import alert temporarily extending FMD-related restrictions to animal commodities originating from or transiting through the entirety of Namibia. The restrictions are effective Sept. 23 and remain in place until further notice.
Under the alert, APHIS prohibits imports of live ruminants, camelids and swine, as well as their germplasm, originating from or transiting through Namibia. Additional requirements apply to processed and unprocessed animal products, while horses from Namibia must meet specific FMD safeguards.
The broader U.S. restriction does not mean FMD has been detected throughout Namibia. APHIS’ current animal-health status information continues to recognize Namibia under its existing regional framework, while noting that temporary restrictions can be imposed as outbreaks occur.
Surveillance Points to a Localized Outbreak
Namibia responded to the initial detection by activating its national FMD contingency plan and imposing nationwide restrictions on movement and marketing of cloven-hoofed animals and their raw products.
Veterinary officials then widened the search.
Between Sept. 22 and 25, 199 samples were collected from five regions: //Kharas, Khomas, Omaheke, Otjozondjupa and Oshana. Seventeen samples were positive, and all 17 came from the Karasburg Veterinary District.
Traceability work also identified cattle that had moved from the affected farm to the Otjozondjupa Region before the outbreak was detected. Those animals were traced and tested negative for FMD, and the herd was cleared of infection.
The preliminary traceability and livestock-inspection findings have led Namibia’s Directorate of Veterinary Services to conclude that the outbreak remains localized to //Kharas. Officials also reported no evidence from the traceability system indicating a transmission risk north of the Veterinary Cordon Fence.
That finding has allowed veterinary authorities to begin backing away from some of the initial restrictions.
Restrictions Loosen Outside //Kharas
Veterinary Public Notification No. 16, issued Sept. 27, lifted restrictions on livestock movement within areas north of Namibia’s Veterinary Cordon Fence. Restrictions on movement from south of the fence into those northern areas remain.
Restrictions have also been eased in areas south of the cordon fence outside //Kharas. Certain cooked and processed meat products, pasteurized milk and milk products can move again under specified conditions. Raw meat already held at registered abattoirs, butcheries and cold-storage facilities can also move if its origin is documented. Livestock may move directly to registered abattoirs under veterinary permits, clinical examination and negative FMD testing.
Livestock auctions and international exports remain suspended, and tighter restrictions remain in place within //Kharas. Surveillance and traceability efforts are continuing.
Export Markets Are Already Feeling the Impact
The outbreak is also creating uncertainty for meat that was already moving through international supply chains when FMD was detected.
On Sept. 29, Namibia’s agriculture minister told the National Assembly that the government is investigating reports that a Namibian meat shipment was returned from Europe. Officials are working with European trading partners to determine where the consignment originated and whether it came from the FMD-affected area. The minister said further information would be provided to the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The status of other consignments already shipped or in transit is also being assessed. Meatco said it was reconciling consignments in the logistics chain and consulting veterinary authorities, customers and importing countries rather than speculating about whether individual shipments would need to be returned.
Surveillance Remains a Key Question
The easing of restrictions does not mean Namibia has declared the outbreak contained. Government officials have said the 14-day FMD incubation period has not yet elapsed, and traceability investigations remain ongoing.
Private veterinarians supporting the response have also raised concerns about surveillance capacity in //Kharas, including the need for additional field teams and testing of small ruminants. Those concerns center on whether enough surveillance is being conducted to demonstrate that the outbreak remains contained.
For now, the available testing points to a geographically limited outbreak: all 17 positive samples identified through the initial expanded surveillance came from the Karasburg Veterinary District, while cattle traced to Otjozondjupa tested negative.
The next phase will be about maintaining that picture. Continued surveillance, traceability and movement controls will determine whether Namibia can continue restoring normal livestock activity while containing the outbreak within //Kharas.
