The South African poultry industry has called on agriculture minister John Steenhuisen to help protect poultry farmers from the renewed threat of disastrous bird flu outbreaks.
In a statement, the SA Poultry Association (SAPA) said that efforts to get a nationwide bird flu vaccination programme under way had stalled. The bird flu risk indicator was “in red”, SAPA said, but weekly negotiations with the agriculture department had failed to produce agreement on vaccination requirements.
“The industry continues to urge Minister Steenhuisen to intervene, compensate farmers for culled chickens, and facilitate vaccination—a vital step to safeguard the future of poultry production.
Despite a court order last year, the government has not yet agreed to compensate farmers for chickens it orders them to cull during bird flu outbreaks. In addition to helping farmers rebuild their flocks, compensation encourages early reporting of outbreaks and is seen in other countries as a measure that helps curb the spread of the disease.
SAPA said the vaccination issue was urgent, as bird flu was spreading aggressively in Europe and the United States.
“South Africa must prioritise vaccination to mitigate similar outbreaks, as the standard biosecurity protocols – stringent as these may be – are not sufficient to curb an outbreak,” it stated, pointing out the need to prevent a repeat of the 2023 bird flu outbreak, the worst in South Africa’s history.
“To date, no farm has been able to adhere to the stringent biosecurity protocols required for vaccination approval, creating a dilemma for the industry. Without vaccination, the sector remains vulnerable to the devastating effects of renewed outbreaks of HPAI.”
These uncertainties were preventing an increase in chicken production.
“With no vaccination protocols or compensation for culling, many farmers are hesitant to expand production, focusing instead on recovering from 2023’s difficulties.”
SAPA also noted that, while three vaccines against the H5N1 bird flu strain had been approved for import, testing protocols for vaccines against the local H7N6 strain “mean that H7 vaccines are still months away from approval”.
