The South African poultry industry has appealed to the government to allow a “practical, effective and affordable” vaccination programme against bird flu to avert another financial and food security crisis.
A statement by the SA Poultry Association (SAPA) was headed “If you can’t compensate, vaccinate” – a reference to the government’s refusal to pay compensation for the millions of chickens it has ordered to be culled during bird flu outbreaks.
Without this compensation, a vaccination programme was essential because the risk of a new bird flu outbreak was high, and producers could not withstand renewed losses such as they suffered in 2023.
While other countries had implemented vaccination programmes, not one dose had been administered in South Africa because of government restrictions.
“The problem is that the government permission is needed for each poultry producer that wants to vaccinate, and the government has made the process of accessing vaccines unnecessarily onerous.
“Monitoring and testing requirements are so restrictive (and expensive!) that farmers cannot comply,” SAPA said.
“We are running out of time. Bird flu is spreading globally, with each outbreak more devastating than the last. In South Africa, the bird flu season is approaching, and it will take at least a year to fully vaccinate all chicks and ensure they are protected. The government must act now.
“The only way to defend the industry from this inevitable crisis is to lower the unnecessarily high barriers preventing vaccination and implement a practical, effective and affordable programme before another devastating outbreak occurs.
“This is not just an industry issue; it is a national food security issue, as another outbreak will see farmers fold, and the price of chicken and eggs rise considerably due to supply shortages.” SAPA stated.
