Effects of Livestock Import Bans Imposed by Saudi Arabia on Somaliland for Sanitary Reasons Related to Rift Valley Fever

Abstract

Data were gathered from Berbera Port official records and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food monitoring units (FSAU and FEWS), but mainly from interviews with 600 Somaliland livestock producers and 15 key exporters to assess the socioeconomic effects of the ban on livestock imports imposed on Somaliland following Rift Valley fever outbreaks. The study revealed that between February 1998 and December 2003, the Somaliland state government suffered significant losses of income – estimated at US$40 million – from potential taxes on export livestock and US$5 million from vessel docking fees. Livestock exporters lost a net cumulative profit of US$330 million, whereas producers estimated their annual losses at over US$8 million. Seventy-five per cent of producers interviewed admitted that the ban had negatively affected their welfare. However, the living standards of producers who also practised other farming activities were significantly (P<0.001) less affected (32%) in comparison with pure pastoralists (78%). The study also revealed that Somaliland consumers gained a relative benefit estimated at US$94 million from the drop in livestock prices induced by the ban. But further studies on the effects on prices of other essential goods are required to confirm this finding.