Namibia has resumed the importation of live poultry and birds from South Africa

Namibia has resumed the importation of live poultry and animals from South Africa, according to a statement issued by the agriculture ministry on Friday.

Following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Namibia in September 2023, the country prohibited the importation of live poultry, fowl, and poultry products from its neighboring country, South Africa.

An estimated 2,500 metric tons of poultry are consumed by Namibia each month, with the majority of the chicken being imported from South Africa.

Following an outbreak of the avian Newcastle disease in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state, the ministry also announced that it had suspended imports of live fowl and unprocessed poultry products.

Namibia’s agriculture ministry announced that poultry products from the state that are packaged in their final packaging on or after June 18, the date of suspension, will be returned or incinerated at the importer’s expense.