FMD – Practical Suggestions for Managing Game Meat and Reducing Waste

With the current FMD situation, many of us may find ourselves with full cold rooms and limited opportunities to sell game meat to butcheries.

Although this presents challenges, there are several practical ways in which we can make better use of the meat available to us, reduce waste and prepare for the months ahead.

We would like to share a few suggestions for consideration.

1. Make the Most of Your Cold Storage

• Prioritise good cuts such as sirloins and fillets for vacuum packing and freezing for future use and for your hunting clients. We all know how much hunters enjoy eating game meat!

• Make minced meat from less desirable cuts, as it is the most space saving method to store meat in the freezer.

• Be mindful of your cold room capacity. Is it a cooler or a freezer? There is a significant difference.

• Do not overload your freezers. Large quantities of meat placed in a freezer at once may freeze on the outside while remaining insufficiently chilled in the centre, resulting in spoilage.

• Ensure that meat is properly cooled, packed and labelled before freezing.

  
  

Remember that freezing preserves meat but does not reliably destroy the FMD virus. Frozen meat remains subject to the applicable veterinary movement restrictions.

2. Consider Alternative Preservation Methods

With limited cold storage capacity, it may be worthwhile to consider alternative ways of preserving larger quantities of meat.

Some possibilities include:

• Making biltong and dry sausage.

• Producing smoked or cured meat products.

• Preparing sausages that can replace bacon at breakfast.

• Canning meat using appropriate equipment and recognised food safety procedures.

• Preparing stock, stews and other products for future use.

Biltong and dry sausage are always popular when serving snacks to hunting clients in the evenings.

However, members should be aware that not all preservation methods eliminate the FMD virus. Salt curing, drying, smoking and cooking must meet specific requirements before they can be considered effective FMD inactivation treatments.

A special word of caution regarding vacuum packing: Vacuum packing alone does not make meat suitable for storage at room temperature. Improperly processed and stored vacuum-packed meat can present a serious botulism risk. Meat intended for room-temperature storage must undergo a suitable, validated preservation process.

3. Explore Opportunities for Ready-Made Meals and Processed Products

Rather than storing all available meat in freezers, consider processing suitable cuts into ready-made meals and other value-added products.

Pies, stews, spaghetti bolognese, cooked sausages and other prepared meals could provide an opportunity to utilise larger quantities of game meat while supplying Namibian consumers with affordable, nutritious food.

Where the processing method meets the required FMD inactivation standards, and subject to approval by the Directorate of Veterinary Services, these products could potentially be transported to towns and sold through appropriate outlets.

This could help reduce pressure on cold storage facilities, prevent unnecessary waste and support local food security during a challenging period.

4. Be Creative with Your Lodge Menus

There is no reason why good game meat should go to waste simply because the usual cuts are not available.

Consider incorporating more mince, sausages, stews and other game meat dishes into your menus.

Spaghetti bolognese, homemade pies, meatballs and game sausages are just a few examples.

We am sure the cooks at your lodges will come up with plenty of creative ideas, and there is always AI to consult for some additional inspiration!

5. Plan for the Months Ahead

This may be an opportunity to stock up for periods when hunting activity is limited or when fewer hunters are visiting your establishment.

The less desirable cuts can be processed into meals or rations for staff, while suitable products can be preserved for future use.

Where permitted, consider donating meat to schools or other community initiatives.

However, please ensure that all donations and distribution comply with the current veterinary movement restrictions.

6. Hunt Responsibly and Avoid Unnecessary Waste

As always we encourage members to be selective when hunting, now more than ever.

Before harvesting an animal, consider whether you have sufficient storage capacity or an appropriate alternative for processing and preserving the meat.

If you cannot safely store, process or utilise the meat, reconsider whether the animal needs to be hunted at this stage.

We have a responsibility to ensure that the wildlife resource we utilise is not unnecessarily wasted.

7. Understand Which Processing Methods Address the FMD Risk

There is an important distinction between preserving meat for human consumption and processing meat in a manner that effectively inactivates the FMD virus.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) recognises specific treatments for the inactivation of FMD virus in meat and meat products, including thorough cooking and drying after salting, provided the prescribed requirements are met.

We encourage members to familiarise themselves with these requirements and not assume that freezing, smoking, curing or ordinary drying automatically renders meat free from FMD risk.

NAPHA will continue seeking clarification on which processed meat products may be transported under the current restrictions and what requirements must be met.

Until then, please adhere to all applicable instructions issued by the Directorate of Veterinary Services.

8. Respect the Movement Restrictions

We understand that some meat may be treated differently under the current restrictions, as it is not from cloven-hoofed animals.

However, members must verify the applicable requirements before transporting any meat.

Please do not misuse this distinction by falsely declaring other game meat as meat from non-cloven hooved animals to circumvent the restrictions.

This would not be in the spirit of all Namibians working together to contain the disease and protect our agricultural and wildlife industries.

9. Support One Another

Finally, we encourage members to approach the current situation with a sense of responsibility towards their fellow Namibians.

We do not want to contribute to the spread of FMD, create unnecessary shortages or drive up meat prices.

Where possible, let us use the resources available to us to assist our staff, local communities and fellow Namibians.

We are all in this together, and this is a time to help rather than profit from the difficulties of others.

We are sure many of you have already considered these options, but please see this communication as an effort from NAPHA to share practical ideas and encourage members to make the best of a challenging situation.

If you have additional suggestions or practical solutions that may benefit other members, please share them with the NAPHA Office.