AI hits South Africa
Poultry imports from South Africa have been banned by Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique due to a series of bird flu outbreaks reported in the last couple of weeks. Two of them have been reported last week and the impact is considered to be high for the poultry industry. Almost 300,000 birds have been culled in the country, with one of the farms losing 250,000 birds due to Avian Influenza.
"The farmer has sacrificed his chickens for the sake of the local poultry industry to prevent the spread of the flu. We are also investigating two other outbreaks reported in Johannesburg again and one in the Northwest. I don't have all the details for now. This is worrying and bad for all poultry farmers. For now, we are asking all producers to stay on high alert, to restrict the movement of people and cars inside and outside their farms. Employees must also shower in the morning when they arrive and wear clean clothes, as the flu spreads quickly," commented Colin Steenhuisen, a spokesman for the country's poultry association, according to local newspapers.
In 2020, according to the South African Poultry Association, South Africa exported 10,608 tons of eggs to Mozambique along with 12,835 tons of broilers. Namibia imported 23 tons of eggs and 8,015 tons of chicken, while Botswana imported 394 fertile hatching eggs and 2 304 chickens. In the last couple of years, the country has tried to protect the local industry by reducing poultry imports. As a result of the bird flu outbreaks, the situation may reverse.
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