Namibia’s livestock industry posted robust year-to-date volumes for several sectors, including sheep, but movement restrictions imposed to control a recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak significantly disrupted marketing activity in September, the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (LLPBN) has reported.
Year-to-date growth across cattle, sheep and exports
LLPBN trade and strategic marketing statistician Utjevera Tjiramba said cumulative marketing to the end of September showed strong gains compared with the same period in 2025, supported by firm producer prices and higher throughput at export-approved abattoirs.
“Export-approved abattoirs also recorded strong growth, with throughput rising 34.6% to 104 505 head by the end of September 2026,” said Utjevera Tjiramba.
The board’s figures show the following headline year-to-date movements:
- Cattle: 217 007 head marketed year-to-date, up 30.9% on the 165 755 head in the comparable 2025 period.
- Live exports: increased 58.8% year-to-date to 75 578 head, compared with 47 594 head a year earlier.
- Beef exports: rose 51.0% year-to-date to 14 348 192 kg, up from 9 499 218 kg in the equivalent 2025 period.
Sheep sector detail
The sheep sector also recorded substantial year-to-date growth. Marketing of sheep totalled 611 407 head by the end of September, an increase of 39.1% on the 439 395 head handled in the comparable 2025 period. September marketing for sheep rose 7.9% year-on-year to 33 565 head.
Export-approved abattoirs processed 48 557 head of sheep year-to-date, a 6.2% rise on the 45 706 head recorded in the corresponding 2025 period. By contrast, throughput at B&C class domestic abattoirs fell, and domestic abattoir processing of sheep also showed declines for some categories.
| category | year-to-date figure | change on 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| cattle marketed | 217 007 head | +30.9% |
| live exports | 75 578 head | +58.8% |
| beef exports | 14 348 192 kg | +51.0% |
| sheep marketed | 611 407 head | +39.1% |
| sheep processed (export-approved) | 48 557 head | +6.2% |
September disruption from FMD
Despite the strong year-to-date indicators, the LLPBN said FMD-related controls dented activity in September. Marketing in September fell month-on-month for cattle, with cattle marketing down 27.2% to 21 387 head from 29 389 head in August 2026, reflecting restrictions on livestock movements and related marketing operations. The report linked these declines directly to the outbreak response measures.
Hides and processed leather exports also performed strongly on a year-to-date basis, increasing 66.2% to 1 264 234 kg, while other domestic-market categories showed mixed results with some reductions in B&C class abattoir throughput and domestic processing.
The LLPBN figures underline a recovery in export volumes and abattoir throughput for export-approved plants in 2026 so far, but they also illustrate how disease control measures such as movement restrictions can rapidly affect monthly marketing and live-export flows.
