BMC dragged into Namibian beef wars

Botswana and Namibia share the 2,700-tonne quota, which dates back over ten years and has been the lifeblood of beef exporters across the borders. The bitter dispute features Namibian parastatal Meatco and private sector entity Witvlei, while the dispute centres on a 2 700-tonne export quota to Norway.

The BMC has been dragged into the spat by virtue of its decades-long association with Meatco in the fulfilment of the quota. The Norwegian deal is a money-spinner for the BMC, contributing seven percent of turnover or P47.7 million for 2008. In that year, Norway was the BMC's fourth largest contributor to turnover after the United Kingdom, Botswana and South Africa.