Namlamb withdraws from 2026 Invitational, but new format paves the way for a larger international competition

The NamLamb team has unfortunately been forced to withdraw from the inaugural Lamb Champs Invitational, which will take place on 31 October 2026 at Silver Lakes Farm Hotel in Pretoria, following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Namibia.

The ten-member Namibian team was officially announced in Windhoek on 18 September and was set to compete head-to-head against ten South African farmers in the first international edition of Lamb Champs.

Namibia’s Directorate of Veterinary Services has since partially lifted some of the restrictions imposed following the outbreak. However, the outbreak remains confined to the Kharas Region, while certain restrictions on the movement of animals remain in place.

Given the uncertainty caused by the outbreak, as well as the biosecurity considerations surrounding the movement of livestock and animal products, NamLamb and Lamb Champs have agreed that the Namibian team will withdraw from this year’s competition.

Francois Rossouw, founder of Lamb Champs and CEO of Saai, said the withdrawal was disappointing, particularly following the enthusiasm surrounding the NamLamb launch.

“Less than two weeks ago, we stood in Windhoek and introduced ten Namibian farmers who were ready to take on South Africa. Nobody wanted their journey to end this way. Animal health and biosecurity must, however, come first, and we fully support the responsible decision taken by the NamLamb team.”

THE INVITATIONAL GOES AHEAD

The Lamb Champs Invitational will proceed at Silver Lakes Farm Hotel on 31 October, with a revised competition format to be announced in the coming week.

According to Rossouw, the setback has strengthened rather than diminished the case for the Invitational.

“It was always our intention for the Invitational to become much bigger than a once-off South Africa versus Namibia competition. We are building an international platform around the farmer, the product and the consumer. Namibia’s withdrawal changes the teams competing this year; it does not change where we are taking the concept.”

The Invitational represents the next phase in the development of Lamb Champs – from a series of regional competitions into a competition designed to reach a much larger audience.

For the first time, the Invitational will be broadcast live across multiple media and distribution partners, with a combined potential reach of more than 1.5 million viewers.

This significantly changes the scale of exposure that participation in Lamb Champs can offer a farmer.

“A farmer competing at one of our regional events has traditionally had the opportunity to showcase his product to a few thousand people on the day. The Invitational gives us the ability to take that same farmer, his farm, his breed and his product to an audience potentially measured in the hundreds of thousands,” Rossouw said.

“That exposure matters. Agriculture needs platforms where consumers can meet the people who actually produce their food. The farmer should not disappear somewhere between the farm gate and the supermarket shelf.”

FROM COMPETITION TO INTERNATIONAL PLATFORM

The Invitational is being developed as an entertainment-driven agricultural competition in which farmers and their products remain the main protagonists.

Rather than relying solely on spectators attending the event, the new format has been designed for both a live audience at the venue and viewers following the competition remotely.

Rossouw believes this will make the format increasingly relevant to farmers, agricultural brands and consumers.

“If we want agriculture to compete for people’s attention, we cannot expect consumers always to come looking for us. Agriculture must also go to where the audience is.”

“Lamb Champs takes something incredibly simple – farmers competing to determine who produces the best-tasting lamb – and uses it to introduce consumers to breeds, farming regions, production systems and, most importantly, the people behind their food.”

The international component will therefore remain central to the future of the Invitational.

Namibia remains part of the long-term vision, while teams from two additional countries are planned to join the competition in 2027. This will expand the Invitational beyond its original two-country format.

“We started with the idea of two countries and twenty farmers. What we are building now has the potential to become an annual international showcase for sheep farmers,” Rossouw said.

“The real prize is not simply determining who produces the best-tasting lamb. It is about creating a platform valuable enough that farmers from different countries want to compete on it, consumers want to watch it and agricultural businesses want to be associated with it.”

31 OCTOBER REMAINS THE DATE

Details of the revised 2026 competition format, participating farmers and programme will be announced during the coming week.

The Lamb Champs Invitational will take place on 31 October 2026 at Silver Lakes Farm Hotel in Pretoria.

**Photo attached: official Lamb Champs SA team