End Market Analysis of Ethiopian Livestock and ... - USAID Microlinks

These bans have disrupted trade patterns and dealt severe economic blows to the region. Following the 1998 ban, for
instance, exports from the port of Berbera in Somaliland—a major export point for Ethiopian livestock from Somali
Region—dropped from nearly three million head in 1997 to just over one million in 1998, representing an export loss
of approximately $100 million. Livestock prices in Ethiopia and Somalia fell by approximately 30 percent as a result. 12
Traders have found ways of circumventing trade bans, for instance by exporting livestock to Yemen for re-export to
Saudi Arabia (IRIN), 13 but such measures do not address the root problem of SPS concerns from Gulf States. Indeed,
the length of the bans suggests that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States lack confidence in the Horn’s disease
surveillance and regulatory systems. The most recent ban was finally lifted in October 2009.
2. FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE
Following an outbreak of FMD in Egypt in January 2006, the country banned all imports of live animals, carcasses and
bone-in meat cuts. Egyptian authorities attributed the outbreak to Ethiopia but banned imports from all countries.
3. OTHER DISEASES
Other diseases, although not associated with trade bans, are of concern to importing states and can cause animal
rejection:
• CBPP: Average prevalence is high at 17.3 percent of cattle. Outbreaks sometimes occur, such as in 1998
which saw 187 outbreaks and 1,071 deaths.
• CCPP: Prevalence is high in goats in Borana, Somali and the Omo Valley.
• PPR: This disease affects small ruminants particularly in Afar, Somali, North Shoa and Metema.
• Brucellosis in ruminants: Prevalence is higher in pastoral areas (2.6 percent of sheep and goats) than in
highland areas (1.5 percent of sheep and 1.3 percent of goats). Brucellosis is a major concern to Saudi Arabia,
which requires 100 percent testing for the disease.
The Horn of Africa is not the only region that has faced livestock export bans. India, Pakistan, Brazil and even European
exporters have faced temporary trade bans due to various disease outbreaks. In this area, exporters such as Australia and
New Zealand have significant advantages due to their island status, which enables more effective disease control.
4. VACCINATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND QUARANTINE
Vaccination campaigns are carried out annually for some diseases in some areas (such as PPR in Amhara and Oromia)
and sporadically for others, such as anthrax, blackleg, haemorrhagic septicaemia and small ruminant pasteurellosis.
Only 50,000 doses of FMD vaccine are produced annually. 14
Ethiopian SPS regulations state that cattle for export must be quarantined for 30 days and vaccinated against CBPP,
anthrax, black-leg and FMD. 15 This quarantine is not recognized by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries,
and animals must be re-quarantined at the port of export. For animals that go through the Djibouti quarantine
(described in the following chapter), the Ethiopian certification is neither required nor seen by the final recipient, as all
animals are re-certified as Djibouti origin. 16
12 FAO, Rift Valley Fever Threatens Livelihoods in the Horn of Africa http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/Y0482E/y0482e04.htm
13 IRIN, Focus on Saudi Livestock Ban, 19 May 2007
14
Rich et al 2008: pp. 4-5, quoting TAES/SPS-LMM 2007
15
Elias Mulugeta et al 2007: p. 14
16
ACDI/VOCA 2008: p. 7
END MARKET ANALYSIS OF ETHIOPIAN LIVESTOCK AND MEAT 5