| Farmers’ union meets Minister |
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| Written by Staff Reporters | |
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The President of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), Raimar von Hase, accompanied by the Chairman of the Livestock Producers Organisation, Ryno van der Merwe, and Executive Manager Sakkie Coetzee visited the Minister of Agriculture, Water & Forestry, John Mutorwa early this month to discuss issues affecting local farmers.
The union was mainly concerned with the Small Stock Marketing Scheme,
which forces farmers to market their animals locally, in turn causing
them to loose thousands of dollars on a daily basis. A report drafted
by PriceWaterhouse Cooper (PWC) last year, indicates that sheep farmers
suffer damages as a result of the current market scheme.
“The Scheme leaves NAU no choice but to support the recommendations by PWC for the change of the Scheme to an export levy of N$19 per Sheep,” said Hase. The NAU was also concerned with the capacity of the Directorate Veterinary Services, especially with the implementation of the Farm Assured Namibia Meat (FANMeat) Scheme, which raised concerns about the conditions of the Namibia/Botswana border and the dangers thereof for the animal health status in Namibia, and the importance of the signing of a permanent trade agreement with the European Union. |
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