The foot-and-mouth disease restrictions on livestock movement continue to disrupt meat supplies, leaving some butcheries temporarily closed, while others struggle to keep their shelves stocked.

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has called on farmers and livestock owners to refrain from unauthorised vaccinations.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform says it could soon ease FMD restrictions to address meat-related commodity shortages.

Restrictions on animal movement have affected abattoirs, auction markets, traders in livestock products, transport and logistics, and live exports.

The Directorate of Veterinary Services has commenced with compulsory Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination in the ||Kharas Region's Karasburg state veterinary district.

The Karasburg veterinary district is the epicenter since its outbreak on a farm.

The Sachinga Livestock Development Centre in the Zambezi Region is appealing for urgent government intervention following damage to infrastructure caused by elephants.

The elephants damaged fencing, water infrastructure and disrupted livestock breeding programmes over a nearly three months period.

After years of drought, communities in Opuwo Rural Constituency were holding on to the little grass that remained, hoping it would keep their livestock alive through the difficult months ahead.

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, has announced that the ministry plans to begin vaccinating all animals in the Karasburg area.

Once the ministry has completed an assessment and is confident that the outbreak has been contained, trade will be gradually opened.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says the government will continue assessing the impacts caused by the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak and is engaging relevant stakeholders to prevent the outbreak from causing prolonged financial distress.

The European Union has suspended the entry of certain Namibian meat products following the country’s Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak.

The restrictions, announced on Monday, affect fresh meat from cattle, sheep and goats, as well as certain processed products, including biltong.

The Directorate of Veterinary Services has confirmed 79 new cases of FMD across 11 farms in the Karasburg State Veterinary District.

Agriculture Minister Inge Zaamwani provided an update.