Savanna Beef export status and full operation expected in February 2026
Farmer investment reshapes meat sector
The facility, funded by 730 producer shareholders who invested N$200 million alongside international investors, will make its international debut in Germany in October 2025.
Jacques du ToitNamibia’s new producer-owned beef processing facility, Savanna Beef, expects to obtain export status and begin full capacity operations in February 2026, employing 220 people and processing up to 250 cattle per day, according to Savanna Beef Processors chairman Mecki Schneider during his chairman’s report at the Savanna Beef Processors Ltd’s 3rd Annual General Meeting on 7 August 2025.
The facility will reach its full slaughter capacity of 50 000 cattle per annum when export operations are expected to begin, generating an estimated N$750 million annually, which will flow directly to rural communities. The company currently employs 85 people during the construction and preparation phase.
The facility, funded by 730 producer shareholders who invested N$200 million alongside international investors, will make its international debut at ANUGA, one of the world’s largest food trade fairs in Cologne, Germany, in October 2025, as part of its strategy to target premium international markets, including the European Union.
The facility, with a slaughter capacity of up to 250 cattle per day or 50 000 per annum, represents the largest producer-led investment in Namibia’s beef industry. Construction began in January 2024 and is expected to be completed by August/September 2025.
“Over the last weeks, more than 80 additional staff members have been appointed and are presently undergoing training,” Schneider said. The facility is expected to reach full employment capacity by February 2026, alongside achieving export certification and maximum slaughter throughput.
Financing and
infrastructure development
The project’s financial structure combines N$200 million from approximately 730 producer shareholders, N$40 million from international investors, N$150 million in construction loans, and N$86 million in financial leasing. The main engineering, procurement, and construction contract amounts to N$352 million, with additional infrastructure bringing total capital costs to N$417.5 million.
Located on a 25 ha site, the facility includes a commissioned power plant to ensure an uninterrupted electrical supply and a water treatment and reclamation plant nearing completion. Schneider emphasized that no effluent will leave the premises, with plans to assess the viability of a rendering plant once operations begin.
The company has secured a marketing partnership on a commission basis with an international firm that has strong expertise in global markets. “We do have insight, in a very transparent process, on all sales up to the end customer and the price structure,” Schneider said, adding that the arrangement will be monitored effectively and professionally.
Target markets and
leadership team
Savanna Beef Operations, the subsidiary handling day-to-day operations, will target health-conscious and eco-aware consumers by capitalising on Namibian rangeland production systems, traceability, and hormone-free beef free from regular antibiotic treatments.
The facility’s leadership structure includes CEO Ian Collard, who started duties on 13 January 2025, Chief Operations Officer Helgo Horsthemke, promoted in March 2025, and Chief Financial Officer Karola Redecker, contracted in June 2025.
Beyond direct employment, the facility expects to generate significant indirect employment in transport, packaging, feed and agricultural inputs, and farming operations through increased demand for cattle. The company estimates that higher producer incomes will support the economy of rural towns and villages dependent on agriculture.
Strengthening value chain
The project aims to retain 50 000 additional weaners within Namibia by paying premiums for slaughter cattle, encouraging producers to focus on delivering animals to the export facility rather than the live export market to South African feedlots.
“The livestock sector, and in particular the cattle industry with an estimated N$5 billion turnover, is the backbone of Namibian agriculture,” Schneider said. “We collectively have to make this industry more profitable for our rural communities that make a living from livestock.”
The facility operates under a dual-company structure, with Savanna Beef Processors Ltd holding shareholding arrangements and Savanna Beef Operations Pty Ltd managing operational activities. The Beef Value Chain Forum, representing producer interests, maintains authority to nominate key executives through a management agreement.
Schneider acknowledged that livestock farming profitability has decreased dramatically over the past two decades, citing deteriorating rangeland conditions and producers being price takers. “With a producer-owned Savanna beef processing plant, we as producers can enhance the profitability of livestock production by adding value to our raw live product locally within Namibia,” he said.
The company will focus on ramping up throughput to full capacity, obtaining export certification, ensuring operational excellence, managing budgets, and scaling up producer participation programs as it moves toward full operations in 2026.