February 9, 2005

Zimbabwe to resume beef exports to EU in 2006

Zimbabwe will resume beef exports to the European Union (EU) early next year following four years of inactivity on the market, the local newspaper The Herald reported on Monday.

The Cold Storage Company board member Abdul Nyathi was quoted as saying that the company was initially scheduled to resume trade with the EU this year but failed to meet the minimum standards set by the EU.

The company was still vaccinating cattle in foot-and-mouth disease stricken areas and hoped to complete the exercise by the end of the year.

Zimbabwe's beef exports were suspended in 2000 following an outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease, which adversely affected the national herd.

Before the foot-and-mouth outbreak compounded by successive droughts, the country had no problems meeting its annual beef quota of 9,100 tons to the EU, generating more than US$86 million per year.

Meanwhile, the Cold Storage Company has applied for a 17- million-US dollar loan from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to supplement its livestock finance scheme.