Avian Influenza |
Media Briefing by Minister Senzeni Zokwana Avian Influenza Outbreak in South Africa
Good morning-
The Department
alerted poultry owners about the eminent threat of Avian Influenza when
Zimbabwe reported their first case at the end of May. The disease, which
at that time had been reported in 14 countries, 2 of which were in
Africa, had been confirmed in Zimbabwe making it the third country in
Africa to be affected.
Avian Influenza is
an influenza virus, and is classified as either highly pathogenic or low
pathogenic by the World Organisation for Animal Health. The type that
has been reported is the highly pathogenic one and is extremely
contagious.
The Department, in
its alert notification, called for all chicken keepers to observe basic
biosecurity measures in order to prevent contact with wild birds. This
can be achieved in commercial farms by improving biosecurity and in free
range farms by simply removing feed and water from where it attracts
wild birds.
Despite the
warnings, the disease still managed to get into our flocks. Two cases,
one in a broiler breeder farm in Villiers and another in an egg laying
farm in Standerton, were reported since 22nd of June. Both these farms
are in the Mpumalanga province. There seems to have been confusion with
the location of one farm which is near Villiers, as its closest town. I
confirm that this farm is on the Mpumalanga side of the provincial
boundary. No cases have been reported so far in the Free State, or in
any other province.
Our team of
veterinarians has swiftly responded to this threat. We have placed the
affected farms under quarantine and the affected birds have been
euthanised and the eggs destroyed. Approximately two hundred and sixty
thousand (260 000) birds have been culled.
Section 19 of the
Animal Diseases Act, gives the Director Animal Health the legal mandate
to compensate for any animals or birds killed by the state pursuant to
any disease control measure. The Director of Animal Health will consider
each case on its own merit.
There have been
several calls to permit vaccination against the disease; I have been
advised by my team of experts that this will not be in the best interest
of both the country and the producers. Vaccination of birds will create
an endemic situation, affect surveillance efforts and affect our export
certification because all our trade partners only want products from a
country that is free of avian influenza where vaccination is not
practised.
In order to contain
the disease, our team called for the ban on the sale of live chickens
to manage the further spread. This triggered a nation-wide concern since
a number of livelihoods had been affected. However this measure was
imposed in the interest of the country and the poultry producers at
large, and I can assure you that it was not taken lightly.
My team has since
met with the Poultry Producers and have devised a solution that will
provide the desired disease management outcomes and improve
traceability, while ensuring that micro businesses continue with their
operations. The buyers or sellers of more than 5 live chickens for any
purpose other than direct slaughter at a registered abattoir will be
subjected to the following conditions:
1. The sellers of
live chickens, including commercial farmers, as well as the traders who
buy and resell these chickens must register with the Poultry Disease
Management Agency (PDMA). The Director Animal Health, of the DAFF has
authorised the PDMA to register and keep records of all parties selling
and buying live chickens. The PDMA is an independent organization and
all information about the trade of live chickens will be kept strictly
confidential.
2. Only registered
sellers and buyers are allowed to trade and it is the responsibility of
both the seller and the buyer to ensure that their counterpart is
registered.
3. Farmers may only sell live chickens certified as healthy by a veterinarian or Animal Health Technician.
4. Traders may only sell healthy chickens and must keep records as prescribed.
5. Sellers and buyers registering with the PDMA would have to sign an undertaking to adhere to the required control measures.
These conditions
apply to sellers of live broiler chickens, live spent layer hens, live
spent breeder birds, point of lay pullets and any chickens that may fall
into these categories. The conditions also apply to any buyers and
traders who buy more than 5 live chickens that fall into the above
categories.
All stakeholders
are implored to comply with the registration and other requirements that
are designed to allow the trade of live chickens to continue without
compromising animal health. Depending on the level of compliance that is
achieved with these conditions, the Director Animal Health will review
future requirements for blanket bans.
Registration forms
for sellers and buyers are available on the DAFF (www.daff.gov.za) and
PDMA (www.poultrydiseases.co.za) websites and further information can
also be obtained from the PDMA (at 012 529 8298).
We request utmost
cooperation of all affected parties in order to prevent further spread
of the current outbreak and enhance the disease management efforts.
The Department
wishes to reiterate that the type of virus we are dealing with, does not
affect people, as has been confirmed by the World Health Organisation
and the World Organisation for Animal Health.
The meat that is on
the shelves is safe to eat as it has gone through a process of meat
inspection and certified fit for human consumption.
A number of trade
partners, have suspended trade of raw meat, eggs and live birds from
South Africa. This is mainly because the South African veterinarians
have to certify that the country is free of Avian Influenza, and since
the 22nd June, they could not provide this certification. However,
processed meat is considered safe for trade, and some countries still
accept this.
South Africa
introduced the concept of compartments in line with the World
Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines; raw meat, eggs and live
birds originating from these compartments have been accepted by most
trade partners. Our team is already in negotiations with these trade
partners to accept our products from these registered compartments.
Chicken owners,
farmers and the public should remain vigilant and all cases of high
mortalities in chickens and other birds should be reported to the
nearest State Veterinarian.
I wish to thank the
Poultry Producers for their cooperation and consistent engagement with
the Department. I also wish to thank my team for the swift response and
their dedication.
Ke a leboha.
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
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