Sheep farmers and Govt stay deadlocked over exports

THE deadlock between Government and sheep farmers in the commercial and communal sectors remains in place, although the Agriculture Ministry says the matter would be resolved amicably “very soon”.

The government virtually closed the borders when imposing a ratio of 6:1 about two years ago, meaning that for every sheep exported live on hoof to South South Africa, six sheep must be slaughtered locally first. The ration was changed to 3:1 temporarily for a few weeks earlier this year after bad rains.Andrew Ndishishi, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry told The Namibian this week that “a solution is very close”.Sheep fetch far better prices at abattoirs in the Northern Cape Province, averaging N$13 more per animal than at Namibian abattoirs.A study commissioned last year confirmed this and – while acknowledging the Government policy to slaughter more animals locally – proposed not to block the free market economy principle, but to impose a levy of N$19 per animal exported.Local abattoirs found this too low and negotiations reached another deadlock a few weeks ago, when abattoirs demanded a levy of N$70 per animal exported.But livestock producers are getting very impatient.Outgoing president of the Livestock Producers Organisation (LPO) Ryno van der Merwe told the annual LPO congress in Windhoek on Tuesday that last year 175 685 live sheep were exported to South Africa and this year between January and August only 57 771 were sent.”This is a drop of 67 per cent,” Van der Merwe said.”We are slowly getting tired of waiting and hearing of new proposals for nearly two years now.The impression is created that some abattoirs don’t want to move forward.”The new Agriculture Minister, John Mutorwa, ,was supposed to table the latest Government proposal in Cabinet last week, The Namibian has learnt, but this did not happen.”The sheep drama severely affects communal farmers as well, we are sitting in the same boat with them,” a frustrated commercial farmer said yesterday.Some farmers planned to stage a boycott three months ago by not sending any sheep to local abattoirs, but they were asked to call it off for the time being by the LPO executive.The ration was changed to 3:1 temporarily for a few weeks earlier this year after bad rains.Andrew Ndishishi, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry told The Namibian this week that “a solution is very close”.Sheep fetch far better prices at abattoirs in the Northern Cape Province, averaging N$13 more per animal than at Namibian abattoirs.A study commissioned last year confirmed this and – while acknowledging the Government policy to slaughter more animals locally – proposed not to block the free market economy principle, but to impose a levy of N$19 per animal exported.Local abattoirs found this too low and negotiations reached another deadlock a few weeks ago, when abattoirs demanded a levy of N$70 per animal exported.But livestock producers are getting very impatient.Outgoing president of the Livestock Producers Organisation (LPO) Ryno van der Merwe told the annual LPO congress in Windhoek on Tuesday that last year 175 685 live sheep were exported to South Africa and this year between January and August only 57 771 were sent.”This is a drop of 67 per cent,” Van der Merwe said.”We are slowly getting tired of waiting and hearing of new proposals for nearly two years now.The impression is created that some abattoirs don’t want to move forward.”The new Agriculture Minister, John Mutorwa, ,was supposed to table the latest Government proposal in Cabinet last week, The Namibian has learnt, but this did not happen.”The sheep drama severely affects communal farmers as well, we are sitting in the same boat with them,” a frustrated commercial farmer said yesterday.Some farmers planned to stage a boycott three months ago by not sending any sheep to local abattoirs, but they were asked to call it off for the time being by the LPO executive.