Johannesburg - The Department of Agriculture says the country is dealing with a number of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 and H7 outbreaks.
According to the department, over 1 million chickens have been culled due to bird flu.
“The number of newly detected H7 and H5 PCR-positive farms is increasing, and the industry is thus requested to ensure the utmost biosecurity on poultry farms to reduce the risk of introduction.
“The department has facilitated the importation of fertile eggs for the broiler industry; a similar request for table eggs will be considered if received. We are also facilitating the transit to eSwatini of fertile eggs for their broiler production.”
The department said it had met with vaccine registration regulators, and the agreement reached was that the registration of vaccines will be fast-tracked without compromising safety, efficacy and quality.
“Due to the high probability of the avian influenza virus mutating and becoming zoonotic, care needs to be taken over the quality and efficacy parameters of the vaccine chosen for use in this exercise.
“The criteria under which vaccination will be permitted are almost in final development, and only farms with good biosecurity and approved to vaccinate by the department will be given permission to vaccinate,” said the department.
The South African Poultry Association earlier this month said the outbreak was of concern to the poultry sector because of the prevalence of two different strains of highly pathogenic bird flu – namely H5N1, which most of the countries around the world have recorded.
“However, South Africa has seen the emergence of a new strain identified as H7N6. This strain has categorised the outbreaks felt through parts of Mpumalanga and Gauteng, with the first cases reported from the Delmas region in early June.
“Both the commercial layer and broiler sectors have been hard hit by the recent outbreaks, surpassing bird flu cases experienced in any year since the initial outbreaks in commercial poultry in 2017. Currently, the control measures for the disease involve the culling and safe disposal of infected livestock.
“This carries an enormous financial cost for the local poultry industry,” said the association.
It added that poultry producers globally receive government assistance in managing and controlling outbreaks, including financial compensation for their losses.
“South African producers are extremely concerned about the latest outbreaks. Should the trend continue around the speed with which the disease is spreading, this could lead to shortages in the supply chain,” said the association.
The Star