Cape Town, South Africa — South Africa has taken drastic measures to combat the avian influenza outbreak, culling approximately 7.5 million chickens in order to prevent a shortage of eggs and poultry. The government and the national poultry association reported on Tuesday that there have been at least 60 separate outbreaks of avian flu, resulting in the deaths of 205,000 chickens. The majority of these outbreaks have occurred in Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria.
As a result of the outbreak, some grocery stores in Johannesburg have implemented restrictions on the purchase of eggs, limiting customers to one carton of six eggs. The government has acknowledged the supply constraints and is working to expedite the import permits for egg imports from other countries.
In total, approximately 7.5 million birds, accounting for 20-30% of South Africa’s chicken stock, have been culled. The South African Poultry Association stated that 2.5 million meat chickens and 5 million egg-laying chickens have been culled.
To address the supply issue, the Agriculture Minister, Thoko Didiza, has announced plans to grant import permits for eggs from other countries. The ministry is also considering a vaccination program to combat the spread of bird flu and has acknowledged an increase in the number of farms affected by the outbreak.
Neighboring Namibia has already implemented a ban on chicken meat and egg imports from South Africa. In addition to the bird flu outbreak, the South African poultry industry has also been struggling with an electricity crisis, resulting in significant losses.
Importing vaccines to address the outbreak will take several months. The chairman of the poultry group in the South African Veterinary Association, Wilhelm Mare, believes that as many as 8.5 million egg-laying chickens and over 10 million birds in total could be affected. He describes the situation as “catastrophic” for the industry.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States reported an increase in bird flu outbreaks globally. However, they note that the general risk to public health from the disease is low, with only one reported human infection in 2022.
In 2022, the United States faced a similar situation to South Africa, with bird flu contributing to a significant increase in egg prices nationwide.
Eggs are an important and affordable source of protein in South Africa. However, prices have been steadily rising this year, and the bird flu outbreaks are expected to further increase prices and contribute to high food inflation.
In addition to the outbreak, the South African chicken industry has been impacted by power shortages, resulting in scheduled blackouts. This has had a significant negative impact on businesses. Earlier this year, South African farmers were forced to cull nearly 10 million young chicks due to overcrowding and reduced production caused by the blackouts.
The poultry industry has also been calling on the government to impose permanent duties on chicken imports from countries such as Brazil, Denmark, Poland, Spain, and the United States, citing unfair competition and a threat to local businesses.
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