The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza has given the go ahead for poultry products to be imported as the country battles with the outbreak of avian flu.
The highly contagious viral infection that affects wild birds and poultry has hit the country’s farms. Imports that have been permitted include table eggs, fertilised eggs and poultry meat.
‘’Since the 1st of September 2023, the department has granted 115 permits for fertiliser eggs, 48 permits for egg powder, 2406 permits for poultry meat, 24 permits for table eggs,” said the department’s spokesperson, Reggie Ngcobo.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) there are currently two different strains that are causing avian influenza in South Africa, influenza A (H5N1) and influenza A (H7N6).
The NICD also reported that the A (H7N6) outbreaks have been ongoing since June 2023 and to date, 50 outbreaks have been recorded in poultry farms in the Free State, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.
Ngcobo highlighted that while some consignments are still in transit, others have arrived.
‘’A permit might be up for up to a shipping container or 10 000 tons. Poultry meat imported 34 511 matric tons, hatching eggs- 1.9 million, day old chicks-5 840, and 930 000 hatching eggs to Eswatini travelled by road from OR Tambo International Airport,” added Ngcobo.
Government said it has collaborated with various partners and stakeholders, both in the public and private sector to contain the outbreak and protect the economy from its effects.
The Department of Health and the South African Poultry Association have since assured customers that poultry products are safe for consumption.
