SA’s poultry industry faces the threat of a new bird flu outbreak, driven by wild birds migrating from Europe on their seasonal journey.
“The urgency of addressing this looming crisis cannot be overstated,” the SA Poultry Association (Sapa) said in a statement, calling for “immediate intervention to prevent a disaster”.
The association warned that “without vaccination, SA may once again face catastrophic consequences from bird flu”
The R65bn poultry sector — SA’s second-largest agricultural industry — provides nearly 58,000 jobs along the value chain and is a vital source of affordable protein for millions of households.
Yet, the industry remains vulnerable.
The country faced its most severe bird flu outbreak in 2023, when it had to contend with the global H5N1 strain and the local H7N6 variant.
The impact was devastating: more than 9.6-million birds were culled, representing more than a third of long-living poultry in the greater Gauteng area, where 90% of birds were either culled or died. The direct minimum estimated loss to the industry was R9.5 bn.
While three vaccines targeting the H5 strain have been approved, the industry faces a frustrating wait — at least another year — for an H7 vaccine to clear regulatory hurdles.
“With the potential to lose half of all poultry flocks again, the impact on the industry would be catastrophic, not just financially but also in terms of food security, malnutrition, and environmental concerns from the destruction of large numbers of birds,” Sapa said.
“Moreover, this will wreak havoc on the price of SA’s preferred protein, like it has in the past, as any shortage in supply will inevitably increase pricing.”
Adding to the industry’s frustration is the government’s reliance on import rebates to offset shortages — an intervention Sapa argues has undercut local producers and worsened financial pressures.
“Prices for meat and eggs soared, with egg prices increasing by more than 30%,” Sapa said.
To date, SA remains classified as HPAI positive, which affects its ability to export.
Internationally, countries, including France, have made significant strides, successfully vaccinating 20-million ducks to curb outbreaks.
“A major challenge facing SA farmers is that they are unfortunately not compensated for birds culled,” Sapa said, adding that the agriculture department had put in place stringent biosecurity measures and monitoring protocols that farmers must meet to be granted vaccination approval.
“However, these measures have proven impractical, and costly, with no commercial farms in the country currently able to comply. This sets an impossibly high bar, particularly for small-scale farmers.”
No farm had met the criteria for vaccination approval, the association said, adding that the department had now halted processing vaccination applications until agriculture minister John Steenhuisen’s office provided further guidance.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.