Brazil has just reported outbreaks of the contagious poultry sickness Newcastle disease. However, imports from Brazil will not be affected because South Africa has limited a trade ban to the areas concerned, allowing imports from the rest of Brazil.
This sensible arrangement is the result of a compartmentalisation agreement between South Africa and Brazil on Newcastle disease outbreaks.
Last year, South Africa banned all poultry imports from Brazil for nine weeks after a bird flu outbreak in one state. Several other countries did the same, because of a lack of compartmentalisation agreements.
As a result, export volumes dropped back to 2020 levels in Brazil, the world’s largest poultry exporter.
The approach to Newcastle disease is different, Izaak Breitenbach of the SA Poultry Association (SAPA) explained in a letter to Business Day. The ban applied only to affected poultry production operations and a 10 km radius around them.
“That is a more precise control and it works because it strictly targets the source of the risk,” Breitenbach said, congratulating the Department of Agriculture on the decision. It would limit shortages and price increases.
He also pointed out that the South African poultry flock was vaccinated against Newcastle disease, and South Africa did not import day-old chicks or hatching eggs from Brazil.
“We have enough breeder hens to maintain normal production, so we believe the risk of contagion to our national flock is low,” Breitenbach said.
FairPlay’s view
South African poultry producers have pushed, so far without success, for smaller compartmentalisation areas in export agreements with Middle East countries. These countries have compartmentalised South Africa on a provincial basis, so a bird flu outbreak results in province-wide bans on production facilities, blocking exports from sites that could be hundreds of kilometres away from the outbreak.
Agreements to ban affected production facilities and a 10 km radius would be very welcome to local poultry exporters.
