• Namibia launched a national Task Force and a Support Fund to protect its livestock sector from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

• South Africa reported outbreaks in eight of nine provinces since 2025 and rolled out a nationwide vaccination strategy in November 2025.

• Namibia generated $83.7 million from beef exports and $63.9 million from live cattle shipments in 2024, according to Trade Map data.

The Namibian government announced last week the creation of a national Task Force and the launch of a Support Fund to shield the livestock industry from potential foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks. Authorities designed the measures to prevent the introduction of the highly contagious viral disease, which primarily affects ruminants and causes oral and hoof lesions as well as sharp declines in productivity.

Local media reported on Feb. 26 that the Support Fund will enhance sanitary surveillance, tighten border biosecurity, strengthen rapid response capacity and finance awareness campaigns for livestock farmers. Meanwhile, the Task Force will coordinate public authorities and private stakeholders to ensure swift mobilization in the event of a crisis.

Namibia has remained on alert since the last reported outbreaks in November 2022. However, the country has not notified any new cases to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to date.

A High-Risk Regional Environment

Namibia faces mounting regional risks as active FMD transmission intensifies in several southern African countries, including neighboring states.

South Africa remains the sub-region’s hardest-hit country and the epicenter of the current epizootic. Eight of the country’s nine provinces have reported a resurgence of FMD affecting both commercial and communal farms since 2025.

Authorities trace the current outbreak to 2021, and only the Northern Cape province remains unaffected, according to official data. Consequently, in November 2025, the government announced a comprehensive vaccination strategy targeting the entire national cattle herd.

More recently, on Feb. 23, Lesotho reported its first-ever FMD outbreak to the World Organisation for Animal Health. Earlier, on Feb. 1, veterinary authorities in Botswana confirmed an outbreak in a northeastern village near the border with Zimbabwe. On Jan. 16, Zimbabwe reported two FMD outbreaks in Mangwe district, located in Matabeleland South province.

This high-risk regional context has increased pressure on Namibia’s livestock industry. Windhoek must preserve its FMD-free status to maintain exports of beef and live cattle. “A single case in our disease-free zone could halt all exports overnight, triggering an economic shock as severe as the Covid-19 lockdown,” Ingrid Henckert Weissnar, head of the FMD Support Fund, told local media outlet The Brief on March 1, 2026.

Data compiled on the Trade Map platform show that Namibia generated nearly $83.7 million from fresh and frozen beef exports in 2024. In the same year, the country earned approximately $63.9 million from live cattle shipments.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum