WINDHOEK, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has temporarily suspended the entry of fresh meat and certain processed meat products from Namibia's previously foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-free zone following an outbreak of the highly contagious livestock disease.
In a statement issued on Monday, EU Ambassador to Namibia Ana Beatriz Martins said the measure covers fresh meat from cattle, sheep and goats, as well as relevant farmed and wild ungulates and certain processed meat products such as biltong and jerky.
The restrictions follow Namibia's confirmation of an FMD outbreak on Sept. 23 on a commercial farm in the Karasburg State Veterinary District in the Kharas Region, which resulted in the World Organization for Animal Health suspending Namibia's FMD-free status, effective Sept. 22.
Martins said consignments of fresh ungulate meat certified by Namibian authorities before Sept. 23 should be permitted to enter the EU during a 90-day period from that date, subject to decisions by EU member states' border control posts.
Processed meat that has undergone the most stringent risk-mitigating treatment prescribed under EU legislation remains eligible for entry, she said.
The restrictions are precautionary animal-health measures consistent with international standards and do not affect Namibia's preferential trade access under the EU-Southern African Development Community Economic Partnership Agreement, according to Martins.
"The EU will continue to assess the epidemiological situation in close cooperation with Namibia and stands ready to review the measures as animal-health conditions allow," Martins said.
Namibian authorities have introduced measures to control the movement of cloven-hoofed animals and suspended exports of affected animals and products following confirmation of the outbreak. ■