Source: https://www.republikein.com.na/nuus/lpo-s-ni-nee-vir-buffelboerdery2019-10-14/
LPO doesn't say no to Buffalo farming
The Livestock Producers' Organization (LPO) is no longer opposed to commercial buffalo farming, provided that it does not affect Namibia's animal health status.
“If commercial buffalo farming is allowed, we are going to insist that the European Union give its stamp of approval. It is our most important trading partner, which sets the requirements and standard operating procedures (SOPs), "Mr. Thinus Pretorius said at the last 56th LPO congress.
Pretorius was elected as the new LPO chairman during the event.
"The LPO further requires a guarantee that relevant institutions will and will be able to exercise control over the movement of wildlife, which may include wildlife smuggling."
Pretorius said the decision came after a local lodge dragged the state to court for approval to start a commercial buffalo farm south of the veterinary cordon fence. “The Minister of the Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, meanwhile has given his support for the commercialization of buffalo.
“A certain agricultural segment wants to establish well-organized and capital-rich buffalo farms in Namibia.
"There is pressure on the LPO to accept game producers as members - and rightly so," Pretorius said. He added that this may include buffalo producers in the future. "That's why we can't say no to buffalo farms."
Pretorius says the LPO's strongest responsibility remains maintaining Namibia's animal health status, which means Namibia can export beef to international markets in Europe, among others.
"We need to ensure that every LPO member can do business in the country - without being hampered by another industry."
POSSIBILITIES FOR BUFFALO FARMING
Pretorius, meanwhile, says the LPO's executive board has been exploring possibilities for smart partnerships in an effort to play a facilitating role between the wildlife industry and livestock producers.
“A year ago within the LPO, we had already started exploring possibilities for disease-free buffalo farms on the game farms located south of the veterinary cordon fence in the buffer zone. Possibilities for this may exist on the Kavango West Region, ”Pretorius said.
"A hunter from Austria doesn't care if he shoots a buffalo in central Namibia or in the Mangetti, for example."
Pretorius once again explained why Namibia's foot-and-mouth-free status is crucial to local beef exports to international markets, referring to a document on this made up by the Meat Board.
WATERBERG PLATOPARK
Pretorius says that during the past year no buffalo from the Waterberg Plateau Park broke because they had good rain.
“Buffalo numbers in the park are still alarmingly high. Recently 200 of the buffalo have been exported to Zambia and currently 100 quarantine buffaloes are present. They form part of another batch of 200 buffalo that will be exported. ”
Pretorius says other species in the park were also thinned and a tender was awarded for the electrification of the park's northern wildlife protection fence.
He says State Farm 963, which borders the park and where buffalo often erupted, should soon be re-registered as a national park.
"That means if the buffalo erupts here, adjacent commercial farms will not have to be quarantined," he said.
The original version in Afrikaans below:
LPO sê nie nee vir Buffelboerdery nie
Die Lewendehaweprodusente-organisasie (LPO) is nié langer teen kommersiële buffelboerderye gekant nie, mits dit nie Namibië se dieregesondheidstatus raak nie.
“Indien kommersiële buffelboerderye toegelaat word, gaan ons daarop aandring dat die Europese Unie sy stempel van goedkeuring gee. Dit is ons belangrikste handelsvennoot, wat die vereistes en standaard-bedryfsprosedures (SOP’s) stel,” het mnr. Thinus Pretorius tydens die afgelope 56ste LPO-kongres gesê.
Pretorius is tydens die geleentheid as die nuwe LPO-voorsitter verkies.
“Die LPO vereis verder ‘n waarborg dat betrokke instansies beheer oor die beweging van wild, wat wildsmokkelary mag insluit, sal en kan uitoefen.”
Pretorius sê die besluit kom nadat ‘n plaaslike lodge die staat hof toe sleep vir goedkeuring om ‘n kommersiële buffelboerdery suid van die veterinêre kordonheining te begin. “Die minister van die omgewing en toerisme, Pohamba Shifeta, het intussen sy steun vir die kommersialisering van buffels gegee.
“‘n Sekere landbousegment wil buffelboerderye wat goed georganiseerd en kapitaalkragtig is, in Namibië vestig.
“Daar is druk op die LPO om wildprodusente as lede te aanvaar - en met reg,” het Pretorius gesê. Hy het bygevoeg dit mag in die toekoms buffelprodusente insluit. “Daarom kan ons ook nie summier nee vir buffelboerderye sê nie.”
Pretorius sê die LPO se sterkste verantwoordelikheid bly die handhawing van Namibië se dieregesondheidstatus, wat beteken Namibië kan beesvleis na internasionale markte in onder meer Europa uitvoer.
“Ons moet toesien dat elke LPO-lid sake in die land kan doen - sonder ‘n beletsel deur ‘n ander bedryf.”
MOONTLIKHEDE VIR BUFFELBOERDERYE
Pretorius sê intussen het die LPO se uitvoerende raad moontlikhede vir slimvennootskappe ondersoek in ‘n poging om ‘n fasiliterende rol tussen die wildbedryf en lewendehawe produsente te speel.
“Ons het ‘n jaar gelede binne die LPO reeds moontlikhede begin ondersoek vir siektevrye buffelboerderye op die wildplase wat suid van die veterinêre kordonheining in die buffersone lê. Moontlikhede hiervoor bestaan dalk teenaan die Kavango-Wesstreek,” het Pretorius gesê.
“‘n Jagter uit Oostenryk gee nie om of hy ‘n buffel in sentrale Namibië of byvoorbeeld in die Mangetti skiet nie.”
Pretorius het weer eens verduidelik hoekom Namibië se bek-en-klouseervrye status kardinaal vir plaaslike beesvleis se uitvoere na internasionale markte is, en verwys na ‘n dokument hieroor wat die Vleisraad saamgestel het.
WATERBERG-PLATOPARK
Pretorius sê die afgelope jaar het geen buffels uit die Waterberg-platopark gebreek nie omdat hulle goeie reën gehad het.
“Buffelgetalle in die park is wel steeds kommerwekkend hoog. Daar is onlangs 200 van die buffels na Zambië uitgevoer en tans staan ‘n 100 buffels in kwarantyn. Hulle vorm deel van nog ‘n besending van 200 buffels wat uitgevoer sal word.”
Pretorius sê ander spesies in die park is ook uitgedun en ‘n tender is toegeken vir die elektrifisering van die park se noordelike wildwerende heining.
Hy sê die staatsplaas 963, wat aan die park grens en waar buffels dikwels uitgebreek het, behoort binnekort as ‘n nasionale park herregistreer te word.
“Dit beteken as die buffels hierheen uitbreek, sal aangrensende kommersiële plase nie onder kwarantyn geplaas hoef te word nie,” het hy gesê.
LPO doesn't say no to Buffalo farming
The Livestock Producers' Organization (LPO) is no longer opposed to commercial buffalo farming, provided that it does not affect Namibia's animal health status.
“If commercial buffalo farming is allowed, we are going to insist that the European Union give its stamp of approval. It is our most important trading partner, which sets the requirements and standard operating procedures (SOPs), "Mr. Thinus Pretorius said at the last 56th LPO congress.
Pretorius was elected as the new LPO chairman during the event.
"The LPO further requires a guarantee that relevant institutions will and will be able to exercise control over the movement of wildlife, which may include wildlife smuggling."
Pretorius said the decision came after a local lodge dragged the state to court for approval to start a commercial buffalo farm south of the veterinary cordon fence. “The Minister of the Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, meanwhile has given his support for the commercialization of buffalo.
“A certain agricultural segment wants to establish well-organized and capital-rich buffalo farms in Namibia.
"There is pressure on the LPO to accept game producers as members - and rightly so," Pretorius said. He added that this may include buffalo producers in the future. "That's why we can't say no to buffalo farms."
Pretorius says the LPO's strongest responsibility remains maintaining Namibia's animal health status, which means Namibia can export beef to international markets in Europe, among others.
"We need to ensure that every LPO member can do business in the country - without being hampered by another industry."
POSSIBILITIES FOR BUFFALO FARMING
Pretorius, meanwhile, says the LPO's executive board has been exploring possibilities for smart partnerships in an effort to play a facilitating role between the wildlife industry and livestock producers.
“A year ago within the LPO, we had already started exploring possibilities for disease-free buffalo farms on the game farms located south of the veterinary cordon fence in the buffer zone. Possibilities for this may exist on the Kavango West Region, ”Pretorius said.
"A hunter from Austria doesn't care if he shoots a buffalo in central Namibia or in the Mangetti, for example."
Pretorius once again explained why Namibia's foot-and-mouth-free status is crucial to local beef exports to international markets, referring to a document on this made up by the Meat Board.
WATERBERG PLATOPARK
Pretorius says that during the past year no buffalo from the Waterberg Plateau Park broke because they had good rain.
“Buffalo numbers in the park are still alarmingly high. Recently 200 of the buffalo have been exported to Zambia and currently 100 quarantine buffaloes are present. They form part of another batch of 200 buffalo that will be exported. ”
Pretorius says other species in the park were also thinned and a tender was awarded for the electrification of the park's northern wildlife protection fence.
He says State Farm 963, which borders the park and where buffalo often erupted, should soon be re-registered as a national park.
"That means if the buffalo erupts here, adjacent commercial farms will not have to be quarantined," he said.
The original version in Afrikaans below:
LPO sê nie nee vir Buffelboerdery nie
Die Lewendehaweprodusente-organisasie (LPO) is nié langer teen kommersiële buffelboerderye gekant nie, mits dit nie Namibië se dieregesondheidstatus raak nie.
“Indien kommersiële buffelboerderye toegelaat word, gaan ons daarop aandring dat die Europese Unie sy stempel van goedkeuring gee. Dit is ons belangrikste handelsvennoot, wat die vereistes en standaard-bedryfsprosedures (SOP’s) stel,” het mnr. Thinus Pretorius tydens die afgelope 56ste LPO-kongres gesê.
Pretorius is tydens die geleentheid as die nuwe LPO-voorsitter verkies.
“Die LPO vereis verder ‘n waarborg dat betrokke instansies beheer oor die beweging van wild, wat wildsmokkelary mag insluit, sal en kan uitoefen.”
Pretorius sê die besluit kom nadat ‘n plaaslike lodge die staat hof toe sleep vir goedkeuring om ‘n kommersiële buffelboerdery suid van die veterinêre kordonheining te begin. “Die minister van die omgewing en toerisme, Pohamba Shifeta, het intussen sy steun vir die kommersialisering van buffels gegee.
“‘n Sekere landbousegment wil buffelboerderye wat goed georganiseerd en kapitaalkragtig is, in Namibië vestig.
“Daar is druk op die LPO om wildprodusente as lede te aanvaar - en met reg,” het Pretorius gesê. Hy het bygevoeg dit mag in die toekoms buffelprodusente insluit. “Daarom kan ons ook nie summier nee vir buffelboerderye sê nie.”
Pretorius sê die LPO se sterkste verantwoordelikheid bly die handhawing van Namibië se dieregesondheidstatus, wat beteken Namibië kan beesvleis na internasionale markte in onder meer Europa uitvoer.
“Ons moet toesien dat elke LPO-lid sake in die land kan doen - sonder ‘n beletsel deur ‘n ander bedryf.”
MOONTLIKHEDE VIR BUFFELBOERDERYE
Pretorius sê intussen het die LPO se uitvoerende raad moontlikhede vir slimvennootskappe ondersoek in ‘n poging om ‘n fasiliterende rol tussen die wildbedryf en lewendehawe produsente te speel.
“Ons het ‘n jaar gelede binne die LPO reeds moontlikhede begin ondersoek vir siektevrye buffelboerderye op die wildplase wat suid van die veterinêre kordonheining in die buffersone lê. Moontlikhede hiervoor bestaan dalk teenaan die Kavango-Wesstreek,” het Pretorius gesê.
“‘n Jagter uit Oostenryk gee nie om of hy ‘n buffel in sentrale Namibië of byvoorbeeld in die Mangetti skiet nie.”
Pretorius het weer eens verduidelik hoekom Namibië se bek-en-klouseervrye status kardinaal vir plaaslike beesvleis se uitvoere na internasionale markte is, en verwys na ‘n dokument hieroor wat die Vleisraad saamgestel het.
WATERBERG-PLATOPARK
Pretorius sê die afgelope jaar het geen buffels uit die Waterberg-platopark gebreek nie omdat hulle goeie reën gehad het.
“Buffelgetalle in die park is wel steeds kommerwekkend hoog. Daar is onlangs 200 van die buffels na Zambië uitgevoer en tans staan ‘n 100 buffels in kwarantyn. Hulle vorm deel van nog ‘n besending van 200 buffels wat uitgevoer sal word.”
Pretorius sê ander spesies in die park is ook uitgedun en ‘n tender is toegeken vir die elektrifisering van die park se noordelike wildwerende heining.
Hy sê die staatsplaas 963, wat aan die park grens en waar buffels dikwels uitgebreek het, behoort binnekort as ‘n nasionale park herregistreer te word.
“Dit beteken as die buffels hierheen uitbreek, sal aangrensende kommersiële plase nie onder kwarantyn geplaas hoef te word nie,” het hy gesê.
