The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has established a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) control area in the FMD-free zone of the ||Kharas region, effective immediately, to prevent disease spread from neighbouring countries.

The ministry's spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, in a statement says the declaration follows a notice published in the Government Gazette on 17 March, and is a precautionary measure to safeguard Namibia's FMD-free status and protect access to international export markets.

He says the designated FMD control area encompasses a band covering two adjacent farms or extending 10 kilometres south of the Mata Mata border post to the Orange River, as well as a band covering two adjacent farms or extending 10 kilometres north of the Orange River.

All communal areas and settlements within this zone are included, extending from the Orange River westward to the Atlantic Ocean, he notes.

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Muyunda says this declaration does not indicate an outbreak of FMD in Namibia. He states that Namibia continues to maintain its FMD-free status without vaccination, which enables access to premium international markets.

"The precautionary declaration is intended to prevent the introduction of FMD, particularly in light of increased activity in neighbouring countries," he says.

He urges farmers and livestock owners within the declared control area to comply with strict disease control measures to safeguard livestock health, protect livelihoods, and preserve Namibia's international trade status.