Witvlei Meat shipped its eighth container of beef to Europe this week following its European Union certification on 24 August.
We are running at full capacity and everything is on track,” said Hendrick Dickson, a senior executive at Witvlei Meat.
The abattoir, situated 160 km east of Windhoek, was resurrected by a group of Namibian and Norwegian investors late last year after the old owners failed to make it work. The target is to ship 1500 tons of beef per annum to Europe, mainly to Norway where the abattoir has established a very good market through the Norwegian partners.

Sidney Martins (left) and President Hifikepunye Pohamba at the official opening of Witvlei Meat abattoir.

The partners include Fatland Jæren AS and BrØdr Michelsen. Fatland AS is the biggest partner with a turnover of about N$1.2 billion and expertise in processing beef, lamb and pork.
Buyers of Namibian beef include Norway's largest supermarket chain with an annual turnover of N$40 billion.
Namibia is allowed to export an annual quota of 3200 tons - increased from 2700 tons last year - of beef to Norway. The quota is shared with Botswana and Swaziland.
Currently Meatco does export to Norway but has never exhausted the quota. Witvlei Meat intends to fill the gap in the allowed export volumes.
Witvlei Meat is using a world-class computerised tracing system imported from Norway. The tracing system reflects in Norway - real time - as the beef is packaged at the Witvlei Abattoir.
It shortens the line between the producer and the consumers. Retailers in Norway know by minutes the available stock at Witvlei Abattoir and of what quality and specification is the available stock, said the company.
The system works as the line of information between the retailers, the suppliers, and the abattoir.
Sidney Martins, the managing director of Witvlei Meat, said the system is “tried and tested over many years”.
The beef is cut according to the specifications of retailers in Norway who demand a premium cut. Packages will leave the abattoir branded with their respective chain stores names - where the different packages will be sold.
Witvlei Meat is leasing what was !Uri !Khubis Abattoir through a two-year leasing agreement with Agribank.
Under the agreement, signed August last year, Witvlei Meat has the right to purchase the abattoir, a right which Martins says they are definitely going to exercise once things get off the ground.
Meanwhile, the company also plans to set up a cattle feedlot worth N$250 million in partnership with South Africans.
The feedlot will house up to 60000 calves for fatting and slaughter. The South Africans, Barney Hurwitz and Hantie Lombard, are involved in feedlots along the Orange River, Martin said.