Cattle and sheep marketing drops in September

The marketing of cattle and sheep saw a significant decline in September compared to the same period last year, while goat and pork exports increased.

The total marketing of cattle decreased by 18.76% on a year-on-year basis, from 28 896 cattle marketed in September last year to 23 474 in September this year.

According to the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (LLPB), on a year-on-year basis, live exports are 16.86% lower than observed in September last year.

Exports decreased by 31.24% from the 16 806 cattle heads exported in August to 11 556 cattle heads exported this September.

Up to 94.39% of live cattle exports, predominantly weaners, were exported to South Africa, while reduced quantities were exported to Angola, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Weaner prices

Weaner auction prices south of the veterinary cordon fence (VCF) increased with N$1.01/kg from N$24.01/kg observed in August to N$25.02/kg in September.

Weaner auction prices increased by 3.77% from N$24.11/kg in September 2023 to N$25.02/kg in September 2024.

On a month-on-month basis, the weaner auction prices increased by 4.21% during the period under review.

“Due to a general decline in weaner prices, coupled by a lessened demand for weaners, the weaner/B2 price ratio has been below 64%. This shows that it is relatively profitable to grow weaners to slaughter weight.”

The forecasted prices for all-grade beef and B2 carcass producers are N$57.05/kg and N$59.47/kg, respectively, for October.

During the period under review, slaughter oxen and Namibia B2 prices increased by 3.98% and 1.65%, respectively, while the South African Red Meat Abattoir Association B2 carcass prices decreased by 4.78%.

Producer prices in all classes on average declined year-on-year in September, while all classes’ carcass prices increased on a month-to-month basis.

Sheep

Total marketing of sheep decreased by 19.67%, from the 48 058 sheep marketed in September 2023 to 38 607 sheep marketed this September.

This is mainly due to a decline in live exports of sheep, which was recorded at 18.67% on a year-on-year basis.

Furthermore, export abattoir slaughtering decreased by 14.15% on a year-on-year basis, while B and C class abattoir slaughtering increased by 11.86% from 3 136 sheep slaughtered during August this year to 3 508 slaughtered in September.

The majority of live sheep exports (91.30%) were destined to South Africa, followed by Botswana (7.25%), and Zimbabwe (1.45%).

Foreign abattoirs, mainly South African abattoirs in the northern Cape, accounted for 72.46% of all live sheep exports.

Goats

The total marketing of goats increased by 13.87%, from the 14 364 goats marketed in September 2023 to 16 357 marketed in September this year. During the period under review, 16 270 goats were exported live, compared to 13 955 exported in September 2023.

This represented an increase of 16.59% on a year-on-year basis and an increase of 17.96% on a monthly basis.

Exports to South Africa made up 98.32% of total live goat exports, followed by Zimbabwe, Angola and Botswana, which accounted for 0.76%, 0.48%, and 0.44% respectively.

Pork

A total of 4 033 pigs were slaughtered in September, marking an annual increase of 12.40% compared to September 2023.

However, this figure represents a 3.31% decrease from the previous month, when 4 171 pigs were slaughtered in August 2024.

Since the beginning of 2024, pork offal has been the largest imported product.

Imports of pork carcasses and processed pork products both depicted a decrease of 1.28% and 31.40% respectively, on a month-to-month basis.

Between January and September, 65% of total pork imports comprised pork offal, followed by cooked pork and uncooked processed pork, which accounted for 20%, pork cuts at 11%, and pork carcasses, which took up 4%.