Industry Growth Strategy for

Game Meat & Wildlife Products

Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development

Presented at the

Livestock Producers Organization Congress 2018

Dr Pauline Lindeque, Agra ProVision [Industry Growth Facilitator]

Industry Growth Strategies

• Initiative of the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development

• Forms part of the Industry Growth Programme aimed at reinforcing Namibia’s economic growth: Growth at Home

• The aim is to support local value addition, upgrading and economic

diversification – and supporting forward and backward linkages within

the Namibian economy

Industry Growth Strategies

Taxidermy Industry and Associated Value Chains

Game Meat Industry and Associated Value Chains

Stakeholder meetings

Wildlife Products Industry and Associated Value Chains

Managed by a Steering

Committee

What defines the Namibian landscape?

RIVERS

Zambezi

ChobeLinyantiKwando

KavangoKunene

Orange

Perennial Rivers

All other rivers flow briefly

during good rainy seasons and

some may not flow for many

years

RAINFALL

Namibia is anarid country

KEY TO RAINFALL

andLAND

CAPABILITY

DomesticLivestock

Key to Land Capability

Wildlife Crops

Arid

Desert

Semi-arid

Sub-humid

Semi-arid

2080

2050

Present

Climate change models project a reduction in prime large-stock

farming areas in Namibia

Prime large-stock area lost

By 2050 By 2080

9 million ha 18 million ha

Dr Chris Brown - NCE

What opportunities does the wildlife industry offer?

Changing contribution of wildlife to livelihoods

Dr Chris Brown - NCE

0

1 000 000

2 000 000

3 000 000

4 000 000

5 000 000

6 000 000

7 000 000

8 000 000

9 000 000

1770 1820 1870 1920 1970 2020

WIL

DLI

FE N

UM

BER

S

YEAR

State devolved conditional rights over utilization wildlife to land owners & custodians

Wildlife became part of the rural economy

Led to a multi-purpose wildlife economy comprising tourism, trophy hunting, meat harvesting, own use and live sale

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

19

75

19

77

19

79

19

81

19

83

19

85

19

87

19

89

19

91

19

93

19

95

19

97

19

99

20

01

20

03

20

05

20

07

20

09

20

11

20

13

20

15

Pe

rce

nt

Year

Freehold ConservancyCommunity ForestCommunal ConservancyConcessionProtected Area

Independence

Dr Chris Brown - NCE

Changing contribution of wildlife …

More and more land is entering a wildlife-based economy

Wildlife Management areas

Forms of consumptive utilization of wildlife

• Safari/trophy hunting – sale of guided hunts mainly to foreign hunters

• Shoot and sell – shooting of animals for meat to sell – undertaken by farmer, or using a registered harvesting team

• “Biltong” hunting – right to shoot for meat during hunting season –only huntable game – mainly to local and South African hunters

• Own use – no permit required for huntable species

• Capture and sale of live animals

Financial returns

Wildlife

Trophy hunting

Sport hunting

Game meat sales

Tourism

Live sales

Livestock

Central Namibia

… livestock and wildlife are not mutually exclusive

Livestock

96%

6%

0%

92%

77%

0%

35%

60%

55%

83%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Livestock production

Irrigated agronomy

Horticulture

Own use of huntable species

Own use of other species

Intensive high value game species

Capture and sell (live sales)

Shoot and sell (meat)

Biltong hunting

Trophy hunting

Current land use

Farmer questionnaire survey

Added value

Value?Prime cuts

Export

Meat / biltongLocal/regional market

Skins tannedWildlife leather and skin

products, décor

Bones and hoovesDog chews?

Horns and skulls for curios, décor

Tourism / sportTrophy hunting,

photographic tourism, biltong hunting

The sum of the parts

Gemsbok / Kudu / Eland

One size does not fit all ….

Communal conservancies

60 365 308

42 866 327

4 270 4022 109 880 1 620 136

$0

$10 000 000

$20 000 000

$30 000 000

$40 000 000

$50 000 000

$60 000 000

$70 000 000

JV tourism Hunting SMEs & Crafts Other income INP

Total Returns for Conservancies and Members for the Year 2016

Total Returns N$ 111 232 053

42 946 799

14 744 081

11 252 045 10 468 960 8 179 559

$0

$5 000 000

$10 000 000

$15 000 000

$20 000 000

$25 000 000

$30 000 000

$35 000 000

$40 000 000

$45 000 000

$50 000 000

Salaries fromenterprises

Salaries fromconservancies

Benefitdistribution

Meatdistributed

Other in-kindbenefits

Benefits to Conservancy Members from the Conservancy Programme in 2016

Total Benefits N$ 87 591 444

Freehold land

Study by P.A. Lindsey et al on freehold land

• Highest quantity of game meat generated from Safari hunting, followed by own use hunting and biltong hunting

• Estimated between 16 000 – 25 000 tons, of which only about 800 tons are exported legally – mostly to South Africa (and an equal amount suspected to leave illegally) - < 5%

Sold to butcheries,

37%

Workers' rations, 23%

Personal consumption

, 14%

Other, 26%

Game meat productionNumbers of harvestable game species (estimated) and [estimated utilized per annum]:

• Springbok (850 000) [250 000]• Gemsbok (560 000) [170 000]• Kudu (440 000) [45 500]• Red Hartebeest (205 000) [50 000]• Eland (120 000) [34 000]

• Domestic

• Export

Game Meat Industry

On many if not most freehold farms, game meat is the primary source of protein for owners and workers.

Much of the game meat sold is in the informal market – ie through direct contacts to farmers (family and friends), and through biltong hunting

Processed game meat products (biltong and droëwors) have been widely available in the retail business

Fresh meat has been more rare to find – and only now becoming more readily available at supermarkets.

Major characteristics of Namibia´s game meat industry

Domestic market

STECShiga-toxin producing E-coli

Major characteristics of Namibia´s game meat industry

Export market

Major opportunities for game meat industry growth

Primary production & input supply

• Lower variable production costs (do not have to inoculate, vaccinate orfeed game).

Marketing & Trade • Marketing and promoting meat and meat products from free-range Namibian game as natural & healthy can help promote further industry growth.

Service Delivery • Guidelines for harvesting and processing game have been established, and it is expected that current regulations will be revised and amended in order to effectively steer the industry

Some constraints for game meat industry growth

Transformation & Technology

• No first-stage processing facilities registered for export with the capacity to formally and hygienically dress, debone and cut game.

Marketing & Trade • The STEC problem.

• There is a significant informal trade of game meat and meat products

Business environment

• Restrictive regulations concerning use and night culling

• Permit issuing by MET needs to be improved – allowing for more self-regulation

Focus for domestic market

• Improve the availability and marketing of game meat in formal domestic market

• Raise awareness about the unique selling points –healthy, free-range

• Improve the general presentation / packaging / labelling (for us urban dwellers…)

• Value addition opportunities / initiatives – eggame meat pies (Usakos)

• Innovative new products (high value tinned meals for camping / tourists?)

Focus for export market -resume exports

What does it entail to export?• Quota to harvest / MET inspection

• Approved harvesting team with Game Meat Examiner

• Harvesting team - documented Food Safety Management System (FSMS) / HACCP in place approved by DVS

• Field abattoir with FSMS / HACCP system approved by DVS

• Refrigerated truck

• Game handling facility with HACCP certification

• Export permit

• A market

Activities undertaken under the game meat growth strategy

Promoting the use of game meat domestically

Annual Eat Wild Festival

• Participating restaurants offering a wide range of game meat menu options.

• Eat Wild City Market on Friday afternoon/evening• Game Meat recipe competition, with a finalist cook off• Publishing game meat recipes• Awareness on game meat – healthy, free range, versatile

Resume export of game meat

• Theory• Introduction to Wildlife Sector in Namibia• Overview on the microbiological changes affecting

the meat industry STEC and other pathogenic microbes

• Basic anatomy and physiology important for game harvesting

• Diseases and most common conditions in game• Regulatory Framework for Meat and Meat products

• Practical• 2 Oryx shot (by sharp-shooter), eviscerated and

transported to the Neudamm Farm Abattoir• Neudamm Farm Abattoir: dressing and meat

inspection is demonstrated

Game harvesting training

The wildlife harvesting training demonstrated that with the application of best practice, the issue of STEC

contamination CAN be addressed.

Further activities towards exports• Study on Market Potential Assessment for Game Meat with Focus on Exports to the EU has been

commissioned

• Inputs to Wildlife and Protected Areas Bill and regulations

• Having shown that we can address the STEC issue – our next step was a workshop that brought specific value chain players and regulating agencies together to coordinate and link up specific supply chain partners and pave the way forward

Harvesting teams

Game FarmersMeat

processorsExporters Importers

Ministry of Environment and TourismDepartment of

Veterinary Services

Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development

Regulators

Value chain players

Export

Where are we?

• Market?

• Export/import handlers (to EU)?

• EU Registered meat processor

• Harvesting teams

• Game producers

• Ability to avoid STEC contamination (hygiene)

This is now in the industry hands….

• A working group consisting of value chain players and regulators has been formed to take the process forward.

• Inputs are being made into the new regulations regarding offtakes and permits, to facilitate the process.

Interested?then get involved

Thank you

Paulinel@agra.com.na