Namibia recorded a 111.3% increase in the number of cattle slaughtered at export abattoirs during the third quarter of 2023 to 34,398 compared to 16,281 cattle slaughtered in the prior period, official data shows.
Data from the Meat Board shows that, during the quarter, a total of 91,154 cattle were marketed, an increase of 52.03% from 59,957 cattle marketed during the same period in 2022.
The Meat Board Chief Executive Officer Paul Strydom said the growth in marketing was mainly driven by increased slaughtering activities at export-approved abattoirs as well as an improvement in live exports.
“The ratio between live exports and slaughtering of all cattle at A-, B- & C-class abattoirs improved by 37.7%. Meanwhile, live export market shares declined and averaged 56.7%. This is a drop of 2.9% in total marketing,” he said in the board’s sector report.
During the period, export-approved abattoirs slaughtered 34,398 cattle while a total of 5,066 were marketed at Meat Board-registered B- and C-class abattoirs.
“A significant number of all live cattle (99.1%) were exported and marketed on the hoof to South Africa (51,206 heads out of 51,690 heads) whereas other SADC countries accounted for the remaining 484. This represents less than 1% of total live exports,” noted the board.
Strydom said market signals appear to be functioning well in the livestock industry as producers responded positively to attractive prices offered by A-class abattoirs.
However, given available outlooks, it seems that due to the consumption of red meat dwindling, producer prices are expected to remain under pressure over at least the short term.
“Indications are that prices may increase by 2025. Namibia does have a variety of export markets available and thus are in a way buffered against local and regional buying power influences,” he said.
Namibian weaner prices south of the veterinary cordon fence decreased by 24.5% during the third quarter of 2023 while South African weaner prices also declined, albeit at a slower rate of 7.72%.
The board highlighted that this brought the gap between Namibian weaner prices and South African weaner prices to N$8.12 per kg in 2023.
This comes as on average Namibian weaners were traded at N$25.86 per kg during the third quarter of 2023, while South African weaners averaged N$33.97.
“The Namibian B2 beef price averaged N$61.65 per kg during the third quarter of this year comparing favourably well against the Red Meat Abattoirs Association (RMAA) price of N$48.16. This produced a N$13.49 per kg price gap in favour of Namibia. This gap has widened from N$3.71 observed in 2022,” the report highlighted.
