Namibia: Dry Meat May Be Moved to Disease-Free Zone

The Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) has announced that the dried meat of cloven-hoofed animals may be moved into the foot-and-mouth disease-free zone without a veterinary certificate.

This is according to a public notice released on Thursday.

The directorate says the meat must have been cooked, ideally boiled, and be free of blood.

"However, raw meat that is not produced under commodity-based trade (CBT) is not allowed, since the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus survives in animal tissue, including lymph nodes and bone marrow, after freezing," DVS chief veterinary officer Johannes Shoopala says.

Cloven-hoofed animals include cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and some wild animals.

Non-cloven-hoofed animals, along with plants and plant products, provided they are free of the manure of cloven-hoofed animals, are free to move into the FMD-free zone.

The same is true for the raw meat of cloven-hoofed animals from export-approved abattoirs, provided it meets the conditions of CBT and a veterinary health certificate is present to accompany the meat, confirming compliance with the World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Animal Health Code.

"Unregistered cloven-hoofed animal feeds may only move into the FMD-free zone with a veterinary permit," Shoopala says.

Members of the public are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the list of products that may move into the FMD-free zone.

This list may be found at all state veterinary offices, veterinary gates, as well as designated entry and exit points.

Read the original article on Namibian.

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