Farmers to meet Govt on red line

THE Ministry of Lands has invited farmers from the Mangetti block in the North to a meeting in Windhoek on June 18 to discuss the relocation of the veterinary cordon fence.

The Mangetti Farmer’s Association met at Ondangwa on Saturday and set up a seven-member committee to attend the Windhoek meeting. It is believed that besides the Ministry of Lands, the Ondonga Traditional Authority and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry will also attend the meeting.Because those farming north of the veterinary cordon fence cannot export their cattle or meat products to the rest of the country or to overseas markets, they have welcomed plans by Government to gradually shift the so-called red line towards the Angolan border.”This is a good gesture from the Minister that the Government is serious about discussing the red line issue with us concerned farmers and we have to use that opportunity to state our side in this issue,” said one of the farmers, Petrus Shipepe from the Omutambagwomawe area.Regions segregated by the cordon fence include parts of Oshikoto and Kunene as well as the whole of the Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Kavango and Caprivi regions.The fence is used to control animal disease.According to 2006 estimates, there are 1,3 million animals north of the red line compared to 700 000 south of the cordon fence.The purpose of moving the fence to the Angolan border is to enable northern farmers to export to a larger market and to integrate them into a wider Namibian livestock market.The addition of livestock north of the red line to Namibia’s meat supply chain will greatly boost the country’s export volumes.In 2001 the Government set itself a target of 10 years to move the fence to the Angolan border.The Government’s plan to incorporate northern farmers into Namibia’s meat supply chain is two-pronged – moving the red line to the northern border and at the same time embarking on a vigorous vaccination programme in the affected areas.Government has not yet started fencing off the areas that will be gradually incorporated into the commercial farming area.Saturday’s meeting decided that people who have built traditional homesteads in the Mangetti area, which will be one of the first to join the commercial farming area, should be ordered to move out because the area is only meant for farming.The issue will be discussed with the King of Ondonga and his Traditional Council.It is believed that besides the Ministry of Lands, the Ondonga Traditional Authority and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry will also attend the meeting.Because those farming north of the veterinary cordon fence cannot export their cattle or meat products to the rest of the country or to overseas markets, they have welcomed plans by Government to gradually shift the so-called red line towards the Angolan border.”This is a good gesture from the Minister that the Government is serious about discussing the red line issue with us concerned farmers and we have to use that opportunity to state our side in this issue,” said one of the farmers, Petrus Shipepe from the Omutambagwomawe area.Regions segregated by the cordon fence include parts of Oshikoto and Kunene as well as the whole of the Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Kavango and Caprivi regions.The fence is used to control animal disease.According to 2006 estimates, there are 1,3 million animals north of the red line compared to 700 000 south of the cordon fence.The purpose of moving the fence to the Angolan border is to enable northern farmers to export to a larger market and to integrate them into a wider Namibian livestock market.The addition of livestock north of the red line to Namibia’s meat supply chain will greatly boost the country’s export volumes.In 2001 the Government set itself a target of 10 years to move the fence to the Angolan border.The Government’s plan to incorporate northern farmers into Namibia’s meat supply chain is two-pronged – moving the red line to the northern border and at the same time embarking on a vigorous vaccination programme in the affected areas.Government has not yet started fencing off the areas that will be gradually incorporated into the commercial farming area.Saturday’s meeting decided that people who have built traditional homesteads in the Mangetti area, which will be one of the first to join the commercial farming area, should be ordered to move out because the area is only meant for farming.The issue will be discussed with the King of Ondonga and his Traditional Council.