By Rogers Aghan, March, 15, 2023, Not long ago the Namibian Meat Board (NMB), discharged caution to livestock purchasers in Namibia to be on guard concerning deregistered stud breeders who are no longer permitted to sell their animals akin. Livestock producers have been encouraged to seek official documentation confirming they are buying stud animals from the said breeders.
According to the board, there have been scenarios where such breeders defied the relevant authorities even after being deregistered thereby branding and selling their animals as stud animals.
Some breeders were illegally branding their herd as stud animals rather than branding them as commercial animals with the officially accepted brands.
“Animals are sold as stud but are not registered akin. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to assess from the Namibian Stud Breeders’ Association (NSBA) before buying whether the said animals and breeders are in truth registered” the NMB reiterated in the statement.
The Chairperson of NSBA, Ryno van der Merwe, hinted to Pan African Agriculture that this was not a rare case in Namibia and had been ongoing for a decade or so.
“Deregistered breeders who sell their animals as studs may sell them as purebred animals without documentation going along with the sales provided they were registered as stud breeders and the animals were indeed officially slated and assessed akin.
“These breeders may also have fallen behind in their financial responsibilities thus being suspended by registering authorities as stud breeders” he noted.
According to the chairperson, it often occurred that deregistered stud breeders retained the stud brand and failed to switch to branding their livestock as commercial animals. He added that this practice was overwhelmingly unfair to potential purchasers who were convinced they were acquiring top-quality genetics from a stud-breeding point of view.
So as to Qualify as a stud breeder in Namibia, livestock breeders needed to present all animals between the ages of 18 months and 48 months for official assessment and selection to ascertain that they met the specific minimum breed standards.
Selection is critical to ascertain that only quality animals are presented for sale under the stud breeding banner. Purchasers from an officially registered stud breeder are assured of a top-notch purebred animal.
Purchasing from unregistered sellers claiming to be official stud breeders could result in a low-quality individual flocks and herds, and the entire livestock industry in the long run. It could also pull down the prices of stud animals.” he proclaimed.
“Official selection is vital to ensure that only the best-quality animals are put up for sale under the banner of the stud breeding banner. Buyers of animals from an officially registered stud are guaranteed of top-class purebred animals. Buying from unregistered sellers claiming to be official stud breeders poses a serious danger in terms of quality to individual flocks and herds and the livestock industry in general. It also pushes down the prices of stud animals,” he stated.
