After a series of discussions with government officials, the SA Poultry Association (SAPA) is cautiously optimistic that progress is being made towards a revised set of rules that would enable mass vaccinations against avian influenza.
The Department of Agriculture has so far insisted on vaccination protocols that the industry has said are too onerous and too costly to implement. Repeated proposals for a more practical and affordable set of rules have been rejected.
Because of this impasse, only one poultry producer has applied for permission to vaccinate under the existing rules. Approval was given for one site, where vaccination proceeded, and applications for other sites are pending.
However, the mass vaccination campaign promised by agriculture minister John Steenhuisen last July has yet to get underway.
This may be about to change, according to SAPA’s Izaak Breitenbach. This follows discussions with government officials, culminating in a meeting this week at which SAPA’s HPAI committee, consisting of Breitenbach, head of SAPA’s broiler organisation and Dr Abongile Balarane, head of the egg organisation, together with four veterinarians, met with a dispute resolution committee at the agriculture department.
“We made a comprehensive presentation on the extent of the problem and our proposals to resolve it. We also answered a large number of questions.”
The agriculture department committee will make a recommendation to Minister Steenhuisen in the next few weeks.
“It’s been a long process – nearly two years now – but I hope we might see progress at last,” Breitenbach said.
