Poultry smuggling of grave concern
The illegal importation of live chickens caused the past two outbreaks of Newcastle disease and now, the ministry grapples with smuggling of frozen cuts too.
Opportunistic Angolans have taken advantage of the current shortage of chicken in the country and are smuggling frozen cuts through the Oshikango border into Namibia.
The cuts are being sold at open markets in the town and reports have it that people from across the region are flocking to buy these bulk packs for roughly N$200 a-piece.
However, thousands of live birds are also being smuggled from Angola into Namibia and sold illegally in the Northern Communal Areas.
The permanent secretary in the agriculture ministry, Percy Misika told Namibian Sun that there have been reports of poultry smuggling since the downturn in the Angolan economy.
According to him the ministry is aware of the smuggling of live birds from Angola into Namibia, however, it was not aware that frozen chicken was also being illegally imported into Namibia.
He said the smuggling of live birds from Angola was reported earlier this year when it resulted in the outbreak of Newcastle disease in northern Namibia.
Last year, these smuggling activities also resulted in several outbreaks of Newcastle disease in the north and killed approximately 4 000 chickens. The newly recorded outbreaks this year has resulted in the deaths of 21 chickens while another 102 chickens had to be killed or disposed of.
According to the ministry it is currently not investigating any specific cases of poultry smuggling.
“However we have been on high alert at all our border posts, ever since the outbreak of Newcastle disease this year,” said Misika.
“The challenge is the porous nature of the border, which allows people to use the un-gazetted entry points and bypass official controls. And in that way it is very difficult to stop this illegal trade.”
Misika says Namibia has very strict import requirements that are certified to the highest standards. This is aimed at protecting animal and human health and is why the country only allows products that meet its requirements to be brought into the country.
“With chicken we are concerned about Newcastle disease and the highly pathogenic bird flu (H5N8), as well as a multitude of other diseases that can be transmitted through chicken.
On top of that we are concerned whether healthy chickens were slaughtered or whether they were processed in a clean environment to prevent food-borne diseases such as Salmonella and Compylobacter,” when he explained the risks of smuggling chickens into Namibia.
According to him Angola has not proposed any facilities that meet the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) requirements for compartmentalisation, for the safe trade of poultry and poultry products.
And without viable facilities there is no basis for an agreement with Namibia to import poultry products Angola, he said.
Misika however does not attribute the illegal importation of frozen chicken from Angola to an increase of chicken prices due to restrictions Namibia put in place since the outbreak of bird flu in South Africa.
“The prices of poultry have remained stable throughout the period when restrictions were imposed; however we believe that it's just opportunistic speculation that is driving this illegal import.
And it has to do with the economic situation in Angola and not because of the restrictions of chicken from South Africa.”
Misika added that the ministry is still discouraging the public from engaging in the illegal trade of poultry and poultry products, in the interest of their own health and safety, and that of the animals.
In addition the ministry encourages bona fide traders from Angola to approach the veterinary authorities of Angola to legitimise their operations.
Meanwhile, in South Africa another poultry producer has confirmed an outbreak of H5N8 at a breeding farm in Standerton, Mpumalanga.
The agricultural department in South Africa has already confirmed 10 outbreaks of the disease, with four on commercial chicken farms. The outbreaks are all in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
ELLANIE SMIT
The cuts are being sold at open markets in the town and reports have it that people from across the region are flocking to buy these bulk packs for roughly N$200 a-piece.
However, thousands of live birds are also being smuggled from Angola into Namibia and sold illegally in the Northern Communal Areas.
The permanent secretary in the agriculture ministry, Percy Misika told Namibian Sun that there have been reports of poultry smuggling since the downturn in the Angolan economy.
According to him the ministry is aware of the smuggling of live birds from Angola into Namibia, however, it was not aware that frozen chicken was also being illegally imported into Namibia.
He said the smuggling of live birds from Angola was reported earlier this year when it resulted in the outbreak of Newcastle disease in northern Namibia.
Last year, these smuggling activities also resulted in several outbreaks of Newcastle disease in the north and killed approximately 4 000 chickens. The newly recorded outbreaks this year has resulted in the deaths of 21 chickens while another 102 chickens had to be killed or disposed of.
According to the ministry it is currently not investigating any specific cases of poultry smuggling.
“However we have been on high alert at all our border posts, ever since the outbreak of Newcastle disease this year,” said Misika.
“The challenge is the porous nature of the border, which allows people to use the un-gazetted entry points and bypass official controls. And in that way it is very difficult to stop this illegal trade.”
Misika says Namibia has very strict import requirements that are certified to the highest standards. This is aimed at protecting animal and human health and is why the country only allows products that meet its requirements to be brought into the country.
“With chicken we are concerned about Newcastle disease and the highly pathogenic bird flu (H5N8), as well as a multitude of other diseases that can be transmitted through chicken.
On top of that we are concerned whether healthy chickens were slaughtered or whether they were processed in a clean environment to prevent food-borne diseases such as Salmonella and Compylobacter,” when he explained the risks of smuggling chickens into Namibia.
According to him Angola has not proposed any facilities that meet the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) requirements for compartmentalisation, for the safe trade of poultry and poultry products.
And without viable facilities there is no basis for an agreement with Namibia to import poultry products Angola, he said.
Misika however does not attribute the illegal importation of frozen chicken from Angola to an increase of chicken prices due to restrictions Namibia put in place since the outbreak of bird flu in South Africa.
“The prices of poultry have remained stable throughout the period when restrictions were imposed; however we believe that it's just opportunistic speculation that is driving this illegal import.
And it has to do with the economic situation in Angola and not because of the restrictions of chicken from South Africa.”
Misika added that the ministry is still discouraging the public from engaging in the illegal trade of poultry and poultry products, in the interest of their own health and safety, and that of the animals.
In addition the ministry encourages bona fide traders from Angola to approach the veterinary authorities of Angola to legitimise their operations.
Meanwhile, in South Africa another poultry producer has confirmed an outbreak of H5N8 at a breeding farm in Standerton, Mpumalanga.
The agricultural department in South Africa has already confirmed 10 outbreaks of the disease, with four on commercial chicken farms. The outbreaks are all in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
ELLANIE SMIT
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