The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is monitoring cattle trade with Namibia following a report of a case of foot and mouth disease showing up. NCBA’s Vice President of Government Relations Ethan Lane says the African country has a quarantined zone from where most of their cattle exports come out of which has been F-M-D free. However, recently a case popped up outside the zone bringing trade concerns.
He says their group is pleased the government continues to work on putting together an F-M-D vaccine bank. Lane says some funding for it is in place but more is needed going forward.
Lane says once NCBA was made aware of the F-M-D outbreak in Namibia they notified the USDA and are continuing to monitor the situation.
According to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service the first shipment of fresh beef from Namibia was received in the United States in October of 2019. Then from January through October of 2020, the U.S. imported 1.1 million pounds of fresh beef from Namibia.
