IMPORT REGULATIONS
SA reminds Namibia to test export cattle for TB
Namibia, SA’s biggest beef import partner, falls foul of SA’s tuberculosis testing standards
SA’s biggest beef import partner on the continent, Namibia, has fallen foul of the country’s tuberculosis (TB) testing standards, leading to a low-key trade dispute between the countries.The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has issued a strongly worded statement in which it has reminded Namibia that its beef exports to SA must go through TB testing."Namibia claims to be free of TB, and submitted surveillance information to the veterinary authorities of SA, which could not scientifically prove freedom from TB," said department spokesman Steve Galane.The bulk of SA’s live cattle imports are from Namibia, which ran into more than R80m in 2015 alone, excluding pure-bred cattle used by local farmers for breeding.The department remains adamant that imported cattle must show no sign of bovine TB, which can be transmitted among herds as well as from the animals to humans."If the certifying vets in Namibia are confident that the herds from which the animals originate are fre...
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