Without the protection of readily-available vaccination against avian influenza (HPAI or bird flu), poultry farmers must look after their flocks through the strongest possible biosecurity measures.
This is the advice of Dr Tiaan Cilliers, the poultry group chairperson at the South African Veterinary Association.
South Africa’s risk of new bird flu outbreaks was rising, Dr Cilliers warned in an article in the latest Afma Matrix, published quarterly by the Animal Feed Manufacturers Association (AFMA).
He pointed to a significant increase in bird flu outbreaks in Europe in the last three months of 2025. Previous bird flu outbreaks in South Africa were preceded by spikes in wild bird cases in Europe. The virus was then carried by migratory birds to South Africa, where it was spread further by local wild birds.
“Given these risks, strict attention should be paid to biosecurity. Specific areas to focus on will be vehicle entry control, vehicle disinfection, personal protective equipment (PPE), shower facilities, movement of equipment between houses and/or sites, and adequate bird-proofing to prevent exposure to wild birds.”
The poultry sector, through the SA Poultry Association (SAPA), had been trying for some years to negotiate a “more practical and widely implementable” bird flu vaccination protocol than the one currently set by the government.
“However, as with many government-driven processes, this will take time to finalise and implement.
“Meanwhile, poultry producers are left to fend off the disease on their own.
“Ensure that your farm is operating at the highest level of biosecurity to give yourself a fighting chance,” Dr Cilliers advised.
Astral Foods, the only South African poultry producer so far vaccinating against bird flu under the existing government protocols, has so far vaccinated about 180 000 broiler breeder birds.
Astral planned to vaccinate at more breeder farms in high-risk areas, the company’s technical executive of agriculture, Obed Lukhele, told the Poultry Bulletin.
He said Astral hopes the data and experience shared with the Department of Agriculture will help simplify the protocols “and enable more poultry producers to responsibly use the registered HPAI vaccines”.
