27 Jun 2024

Botswana’s efforts to comply with the European Union meat market requirements received a major boost through the donation of an over P7 million  meat residue testing equipment.

The laboratory equipment, a donation through the European Union-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is aimed at positioning Botswana as a reference centre of excellence for residue testing in the SADC region.

 Speaking during the laboratory testing equipment hand over in Gaborone Wednesday, EU’s chargé d’affaires to Botswana and the SADC region, Mr Clement Boutillier said the EU had through its audit system identified a gap in the implementation of Botswana’s National Residue Plan since it was done abroad, hence the donation.

He commended Botswana for staying committed to localising testing of residues in order to reduce turnaround times to allow for timely interventions, adding that the donated equipment would thus ensure compliance for acceptability of beef from Botswana into the EU and other international markets.

 In order to meet the localisation residue testing, Mr Boutillier highlighted that the laboratory had to be capacitated to cover costs of setting up residue monitoring tests, which involved equipment purchasing and training of staff.

“Through this noble laboratory equipment hand over, we are not only enhancing the capacity of the national laboratory but we are also supporting the entire agricultural sector since Botswana will be better positioned to expand exports, create jobs and drive economic growth,” he said.

Mr Boutillier said the EU had noted great efforts by government to improve beef value chain and beef quality through the importation of high beef cattle pedigree as well as the intent to increase national livestock herd.

Thus, he said the donated equipment represented a crucial step in ensuring that Botswana beef reached the required EU markets standards since the interim EPA gave goods from Botswana duty free and quota free access into the EU market.

Mr Boutillier additionally said the EU-SADC EPA programme was mindful that Botswana could only attain high income status through strong partnerships with key industry players, which would increase Botswana’s competitiveness and increase foreign direct investment in the country.

 He said the EU had since 2021 injected over P88 million into the project with the main objectives being to increase export to the EU to support Botswana’s economic diversification drive.

For his part, National Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Chief Executive Officer, Professor Julius Atlhopheng said residues section was a food safety section of Botswana National Veterinary Laboratory under the animal production and health department at NARDI.

 The section, he said, was mandated to monitor the levels of residues of veterinary drugs and hormones and environment contaminants (pesticides and heavy metals) in meat and meat products, water, feed and other biological samples destined for human consumption. ends