Bird Flu Affects SA Poultry Exports

Following a serious outbreak of bird flu, South African poultry imports have been banned in four of its neighbouring countries.

The latest outbreak of the pathogenic avian influenza, known as the H5N8 strain, has spread rapidly throughout South Africa.
It the first outbreak of this specific strain of bird flu in the country and it has severely affected two major poultry farms in the Mpumalanga province.

Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique banned poultry imports from South Africa last week, and yesterday, Namibia became the latest country to join in on the ban.

In addition to this, the South African government introduced a nationwide ban on the sale of live poultry on Monday.

“The department has established a 30km control zone in Mpumalanga and the Free State. The provinces are conducting surveillance in the control zone for other affected properties. All provinces have been notified and are on high alert [sic],” a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture said in a statement.

The South African government has also ordered the culling of close to 25 000 affected chickens in order to contain the disease. The eggs of these chickens will remain in quarantine on the affected farm.

The outbreak of the disease serves a big blow to South Africa’s already fragile poultry industry, and the rapid spread of the disease has placed many farms at risk.

“All poultry farmers are at risk, and should take precautionary measures to prevent introduction of the disease to their flocks…we are talking about a disease that is transmitted by wild birds…The birds could have migrated from affected areas, or been in contact with migratory birds from infected areas [sic],” Department of Agriculture spokesperson, Bomikazi Molapo, said.

It is not yet known whether other farms in the area or in the rest of South Africa have been affected.