Namibia: Namibia Issues New Requirements for Animal Products In-Transit

The Namibian Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform appears to have issued a circular with new import and transshipment requirement for animal and animal products into and through Namibia that states that importers must obtain a Namibian Veterinary Import Permit or Namibian Veterinary Import Permit for Conveyance In-Transit for commodities aimed for use in Namibia or in-transit. These new requirements were announced on December 6th with an implementation and enforcement beginning the following day. These new requirements have been shared with local importers but have not been officially communicated to FAS/Pretoria. Post has reached out to confirm the authenticity of the documents and seek clarification, including whether Namibia plans to notify the WTO. The Walvis Bay port in Namibia is an important entry point for U.S. poultry that is destined to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2021 the DRC imported 33,536 tons of U.S. poultry meat and products valued at US$35 million.