On 8 June 2020, The Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) implemented a quota system in which all producers, who purchase cattle ear tags from the Meat Board of Namibia (MBN) or its various agents, could only purchase a certain number of ear tags, depending on the quantity they qualified for.
This quantity is automatically determined by the NamLITS database, says NamLITS South Coordinator Windhoek at DVS in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Dr Janett-Star Erastus.
Following negotiations between MBN and DVS, the provision has now been adjusted so that the NamLITS database takes 30% growth in cattle numbers into account when calculating the quota, to provide for the rebuilding of herds after the extended drought period.
“The 30% increase is a simple adjustment to the formula on the database that generates the quota for each farmer so that a farmer will be able to get more ear tags on his/her quota,” Erastus further explains.
The quota for the next 12 months takes into account, among other things, the number of ear tags registered or replaced by producers on the NamLITS database in the past 24 months. However, producers who do not qualify for sufficient cattle ear tags can still apply at the NamLITS office in Windhoek to Dr Amuthenu or Dr Erastus (0811458430), or Ondangwa to Dr Luvala (0811489191) or Mr John Ngenokesho (0811482755), for the review of the NamLITS specified quota.