An outbreak of Avian Influenza in South Africa will derail export expansion plans by the country’s poultry industry through the Poultry Master Plan and further decrease poultry exports.
According to a report released late Friday by the Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN), South Africa has experienced multiple Avian Influenza outbreaks in six commercial farms across three provinces during April and May 2021.
The outbreak is suspected to be linked to the flu caused by European wild birds.
On 13 April, 2021, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) announced that an avian influenza (also known as “bird flu”) outbreak was detected in Ekurhuleni Municipality in Gauteng Province.
The outbreak occurred in a commercial layer farm and that led to the culling of 240,000 birds. Six days later, two additional commercial chicken properties tested positive for the H5 variant.
Samples from the farm were taken to the lab, and tested positive for the H5 strain of the avian influenza. Upon confirmation of the H5 strain, the birds in the affected house were immediately culled by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development authorities.
The Department mentioned that the farm was also part of the H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in 2017.
The department made arrangements for the samples to be urgently tested at Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (OVR), to determine the pathotype (whether it is high (HPAI) or low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI)) as well as to determine the N type of the virus.
The avian influenza strain was confirmed to be highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1. Further genetic evaluation confirmed that it is a Clade 2.3.4.4 virus that groups closely with the currently circulating virus strains in wild birds in Europe.
The entire farm was culled (approximately 270,000 birds) and approval was obtained for burial at a nearby dumping site under controlled conditions and under state veterinary supervision.
On 19 April, an additional two commercial chicken properties tested positive for H5. One is a commercial chicken layer farm in City of Tshwane, Gauteng. The other is a commercial chicken parent breeder farm in J. B. Marks Local Municipality in the north.
South Africa is not a major poultry exporter, as the majority of its poultry exports go to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region because they can’t access other markets as a result of sanitary and phytosanitary issues..
For the last four years, Lesotho has been the leading importer, followed by Mozambique
During May, two more outbreaks were reported in the Western Cape and in Gauteng. As a result of these outbreaks, Botswana and Mozambique restricted imports of poultry from South Africa. Notably, one of the three affected facilities is a registered compartment for export.
On 6 May, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture reported that an Avian Influenza outbreak was detected at a broiler breeder farm in the Worcester area. The provincial agriculture department reported that the affected farm is under quarantine, and the process of humanely culling the affected commenced thereafter.
On 7 May, another outbreak was reported in a commercial chicken farm in the Gauteng Province, Randfontein area.
Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique have put restrictions on the imports of poultry from South Africa.
In agreement with international trade recommendations, Namibia and Botswana have only banned poultry and poultry raw products from this affected compartment.
Both countries still allow the export of poultry and poultry raw products from registered compartments within South Africa that comply with the monthly surveillance requirements.
In addition to these restrictions, Lesotho and Hong Kong have restricted the importation of poultry and poultry products from Gauteng Province.
