Namibia has confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) inside its internationally recognised disease-free zone, triggering nationwide restrictions on livestock movement and trade and placing the country’s beef export system under immediate pressure.
The outbreak was detected during routine surveillance at a commercial farm in the Karasburg State Veterinary District in the ||Kharas Region. Veterinary officials identified 63 cattle showing clinical signs consistent with FMD on September 22. Samples from 11 cattle were sent to Namibia’s Central Veterinary Laboratory in Windhoek, with 10 testing positive for the disease on September 23.
The location of the outbreak is particularly significant because the farm falls within Namibia’s World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)-recognised FMD-free zone, an area that has been central to the country’s ability to access premium international beef markets. The government has activated its National FMD Contingency Plan and imposed immediate control measures under the Animal Health Act.
The restrictions extend across the country. The movement, marketing and trade of cloven-hoofed animals and their raw products have been suspended, alongside imports, exports and transit movements. Slaughtering of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs at local and export abattoirs, informal markets and social events has also been halted. Veterinary authorities have begun intensive surveillance and are establishing roadblocks at strategic points to determine the extent of the outbreak and limit further spread.
The measures are already affecting Namibia’s meat industry. Meatco, the country’s major meat processor, has suspended further beef exports requiring livestock movement under affected arrangements. Namibia’s beef industry generated more than N2.1billion (about $118million) in foreign exchange in 2025, while the country has maintained access to major markets including the European Union, China, Norway and the United States.
The disruption also comes after a strong year for livestock marketing. About 156,000 cattle were marketed between January and July 2026, compared with approximately 122,000 during the same period in 2025, representing an increase of about 28%. The timing therefore creates additional uncertainty for farmers, processors, exporters and rural businesses dependent on livestock sales.
Authorities are also considering how Namibia can protect unaffected areas if outbreaks occur in the future. The government is developing a proposal to divide the existing FMD-free zone into smaller zones, potentially allowing unaffected areas to continue trading while an outbreak is contained elsewhere. Officials are examining the use of existing game fences to reduce the cost of creating additional boundaries.
The Namibia Agricultural Union has called for a state of emergency, arguing that the outbreak threatens farmers, rural communities and the wider economy. The government, meanwhile, has emphasised containment and the restoration of normal livestock marketing as priorities.
NBF Insight
For Namibia, the economic importance of this outbreak goes beyond the immediate number of infected cattle. Disease-free status is an agricultural asset because it determines whether livestock and meat can move into high-value export markets.
The current suspension demonstrates how quickly a disease event in one production area can disrupt an entire value chain when national trade depends on maintaining a recognised disease-free zone. Namibia’s response will therefore be closely watched across Southern Africa, where livestock producers face recurring FMD risks and where regional movement of animals can complicate disease control.
The immediate priorities are containment, traceability, surveillance and restoring confidence in Namibia’s animal-health status. Longer term, the proposed subdivision of the FMD-free zone could provide a way to isolate future outbreaks while reducing the risk that one outbreak shuts down livestock marketing across the entire export system.
