Photo: Bank Windhoek
By: Peneyambeko Jonas
It is estimated that the country’s beef-linked value-chain losses could culminate to N$2.4 billion lost over six months, along with 52,000 agricultural jobs south of the Cordon Fence due to the outbreak of FMD and the containment measures in place.
The impact estimate was made by Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) President Thinus Pretorius at the 2026 Bank Windhoek Agricultural Series last week.
With an estimated N$151 million in livestock sales at risk every week, Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is a serious economic threat to the country, with annual GDP figures being revised to factor in the shock and livestock losses.
In highlighting the impact, Pretorius noted that the country is losing N$13 million a day, or N$2.4 billion over six months, and 52,000 agricultural jobs south of the Cordon Fence, supporting about 200,000 dependents, on the line.
“The longer the markets stay closed, the more this becomes a question of jobs and households, not just farms,” he said.
Namibia’s export market was established on the basis of having FMD-free zones; with the outbreak, the status and access have been lost.
In 2025, 94% of Namibia’s 2025 beef exports went to European markets that require FMD-free status, and access to the EU and Norway has since been suspended.
Pretorius cautioned that FMD-free status is “the starting point, not the finish line”, as each importing country decides when to buy again.
He noted that there are alternative markets; however, their prices are not commercially incentivising as European prices.
According to their NAU insight, alternative markets pay roughly N$113–138 per kilogram, against about N$219 for fresh boneless beef in Europe.
On the way forward, he said NAU’s way forward is to keep trade moving at home under strict veterinary supervision, open alternative markets now, and regain FMD freedom without vaccination.
“Government reopens markets. Industry wins them back,” he said
As of 27 October 2026, 131 positive samples had been recorded on 18 infected farms in //Kharas. By then, 8,102 of 13,000 cattle had been vaccinated in //Kharas, and 53,913 of 56,360 in the Zambezi Region, where a separate outbreak was confirmed on 6 October.
Controlled direct slaughter has resumed, with 1,344 cattle slaughtered at registered abattoirs, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has opened talks with new markets including Tunisia, Morocco and Nigeria.
Vice-Chairperson of the Ministerial FMD Task Force, Jako van Wyk, who also spoke at the series, outlined the Directorate of Veterinary Services’ plan to regain free status, including a new disease control fence construction targeted for November 2026.
He reassured producers that the zone’s status is “suspended, not lost”, noting that Namibia was one of only three countries with the World Organisation for Animal Health-endorsed official FMD control programme in 2026.
“Your records are your passport back to the market,” Van Wyk stated.
Bank Windhoek’s Managing Director, James Chapman, reminded that agriculture is the backbone of rural Namibia, and Foot-and-Mouth Disease is testing how well the country stand together as a nation.
He also noted that no single institution, sector or country can solve an outbreak alone.
Chapman affirmed that the bank will continue to support national response and stand with the farming community.
“We encourage affected clients to speak to us early, so that together we can find workable solutions,” said Chapman.
Farmers can access some relief on their financial obligations and also loans through the newly released Bid-42 by the Bank of Namibia as an intervention to support the agriculture sector during the outbreak.
