Press release
The discussion was focused on abstracting higher-order solutions to pernicious issues of avian influenza outbreaks plaguing both the poultry industry and government. Several critical issues were highlighted over the course of the conversation:
Despite government’s best efforts, there is a critical shortage of veterinarians, and veterinary resources. This has not only caused delays in creating a vaccination roadmap for willing producers, but the shortage also means that many producers are carrying the additional cost due to the lack of state resources. More state-employed veterinarians may ease the congestion in developing a vaccination programme. Furthermore, it may address the additional inspection requirements for those seeking to export their
products. South Africa needs more veterinarians.
The biosecurity and monitoring requirements for vaccination and exemption from culling are overly complicated and burdensome. Dr Grobler also elaborated on the virulence of certain strains, illustrating how certain pathogens are endemic, negating the efficacy of stringent biosecurity protocols. More effective and practical solutions are needed to lower the barriers to compliance – it is this complexity that may force producers to act in contravention to the Animal Diseases statues. The Panel has made it clear that the South African government subscribes to a “stamp-out” policy, and has SAPA’s unreserved support on this approach, but this does not mean there aren’t any other innovative solutions or approaches to the problem.
The South African Government currently subscribes to a “stamp-out” policy – if an infected bird is detected, the entire infected flock is destroyed, and the poultry houses cleaned and sterilised at significant cost to the operator. Dr Majokweni mentioned that farmers can apply for culling exemption, as such, the Gauteng Department of Agriculture confirmed that the 10 remaining flocks that survived HPAI and applied for an exemption from culling are not shedding the virus. Hopefully, their applications for exemption will be finalised as soon as possible.
Added to this, it was made clear by Dr Kalake that poultry producers may apply for compensation, but currently no such compensation is being paid, nor is there money to compensate farmers for culling their flock. This lack of compensation could lead to producers choosing not to cull surviving birds, which poses a significant risk to other flocks around the country. The practice of culling without compensation is devastating, particularly to small farmers, as they cannot sell their product, and there is no insurance to replace the lost product; a double-dip loss. The additional costs of cleaning and sterilising the chicken house and equipment is also not factored in.
During the course of the 2023 outbreaks, producers had to cull over 9.5-million infected birds. According to Mr Breitenbach, this translates to a minimum of R9.5-billion in financial losses for the industry in just replacing their flock – this does not account for the cost of cleaning and disposal, which are all out of pocket expenses for producers. Compensating farmers for culling is critical to not only the sustainability of the industry, but the protection of South African consumers to the enforcing of the Animal Diseases Control Act.
There are no producers able to vaccinate their flock currently, and no exemption from culling has been granted – there is a dire need to address the shortcomings in preparation for another HPAI outbreak. It is with gratitude that we acknowledge the core insights provided by our state veterinarians, and it serves as an excellent basis to redress the issues of bird flu outbreaks. In our search for higher-order solutions, it is evident that more conversations with senior policy makers are required to bolster the local poultry industry against future outbreaks that waste money and cost jobs.
FairPlay will continue to engage with government bodies, from the DTIC, to DALRRD, Treasury and SARS to ensure the Poultry Industry is included in policy-setting conversations. From these conversations, we hope to glean the means to:
The forum agreed that these are mission-critical considerations, and timing is of the essence; avian influenza threatens every South African, not just poultry producers – it is vital that we empower our industry to take care of itself, else it cannot be expected to take care of anyone else. South Africa’s poultry industry endeavours to produce the best, most cost-effective protein possible. Unnecessary and avoidable complications caused by bird flu may increase the cost to consumers, while wreaking havoc on the farm.
Related Agribook pages include “Poultry and Chicken Farming“.
Photo by Zoe Schaeffer on Unsplash
Over time, the South African government has amassed over 2 million hectares of land that was never released to beneficiaries with title deeds.
The conference will bring together 200 oil producers and stakeholders from across South Africa and Southern Africa.
Does an owner of livestock have a right to compensation when livestock and products are destroyed in accordance with governmental avian flu protocol?
