The Namibia Airports Company (NAC) has ramped up biosecurity controls at the country’s international airports, warning that even a minor lapse could place Namibia’s livestock industry and export markets at risk.
In a decisive move to protect the country’s Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)-free status, disinfection mats have been installed at all international airport entrances, including Hosea Kutako International Airport and Walvis Bay International Airport.
NAC spokesperson Dan Kamati said the measures were implemented in collaboration with the Directorate of Veterinary Services, the competent authority for animal disease control, and strictly according to its specifications.
“This was done in collaboration with the Directorate of Veterinary Services, the competent agency for animal disease control, and to their specifications,” Kamati said.
The measures, in place since October 2025, currently apply to all arriving passengers at Namibia’s international airports. However, they can be expanded to domestic airports if authorities deem it necessary.
Under the tightened controls, shoes worn by passengers are disinfected, while strict restrictions apply to live animals and animal products entering the country. Imports of live cloven-hoofed animals, all meat and meat products from cloven-hoofed animals, unpasteurised milk and milk-derived products, as well as untreated hides, skins, hair and trophies from cloven-hoofed animals, are suspended.
Kamati stressed that veterinary officials stationed at airports form a critical line of defence, ensuring that animals and animal products entering Namibia are properly documented, healthy and disease-free.
“They are the guardians of our agricultural sector, providing the necessary animal health assurance that facilitates trade in live animals and animal products,” he said.
He warned that if FMD were to be detected in Namibia, the measures would immediately escalate to include departing passengers and extend to domestic airports such as Katima Mulilo Airport, Rundu Airport, Ondangwa Airport and Keetmanshoop Airport — all of which serve livestock-dependent communities.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that our airport operations do not expose these rural communities to FMD, and it is a responsibility we at the NAC take very seriously,” Kamati said.
Namibia’s FMD-free zone is officially recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as free without vaccination — a status that underpins the country’s access to lucrative international meat markets.
A single confirmed case in the free zone could see export markets close overnight, triggering severe national economic losses. Authorities have further cautioned that any breach of biosecurity — including the illegal use of FMD vaccines — could jeopardise the country’s hard-earned disease-free status.
Kamati urged travellers to cooperate fully with authorities and to refrain from bringing banned animal products into Namibia.
“Those travelling to and from Namibia are urged to think of our farmers when travelling and refrain from importing banned products in the interest of our farmers' livelihoods — a few sticks of biltong are not worth the risk to the farming industry,” he said.
With global FMD outbreaks posing an ongoing threat, NAC has made it clear: the country’s airports are not just travel hubs — they are frontline barriers protecting Namibia’s agricultural economy.