The United States of America (USA) has approved the importation of boneless meat and other beef products from Namibia, the US embassy in Windhoek has announced.
In a statement released on Thursday, the US Embassy Acting Public Affairs Officer, Steve Mraz, said Namibia had become the only African country eligible to export meat to the US after being approved by the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
“A final ruling from the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service published on July 13 adds Namibia to the list of countries eligible to export meat and meat products to the United States.
“Specifically, the decision allows Namibia to export boneless, (not ground) raw beef products such as primal cuts, chuck, blade and beef trimmings from certified establishments to the United States,” Mraz said.
U.S. Ambassador to Namibia Thomas Daughton said the move would open an important new market to Namibian beef producers.
According to the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service, Namibia’s meat inspection system was found to be equivalent to the US inspection system for meat and meat products.
Namibian agriculture minister John Mutorwa gave no date for the resumption of exports but said the country would deliver up to 860,000 kilogrammes in the first year.
The exports are expected to rise to 5.7 million kilogrammes per annum within the next five years. The US is Namibia’s second major beef export market after China, which became the country’ s first export market in May.
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