May 23, 2024

South Africa faces bird flu risk amid vaccination delays, says Astral Foods

South Africa remains at risk of bird flu due to delays in the roll-out of a broad vaccination programme, according to Astral Foods, the country's largest chicken producer, Reuters reported.

Last year, South Africa lost 9.5 million chickens, about a third of its national flock, during its worst outbreak of high-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

The government has published guidelines for HPAI vaccination, but the poultry industry says the stringent biosecurity standards and monitoring protocols required are hindering vaccination efforts. The South African Poultry Association reports that no company has met the requirements, despite eagerness to comply.

South Africa's Department of Agriculture was not immediately available to comment.

Astral Foods posted a profit of ZAR 355 million (US$19.56 million) in the six months to March 31, marking the first half of its financial year. This represents a 472% increase from ZAR 62 million (US$3.3 million) in the same period last year, when the company suffered badly from power cuts.

The bird flu outbreak and the electricity crisis, blamed on South Africa's ageing coal-fired plants, cost Astral Foods ZAR 2 billion (US$108 million), pushing the company to its first ever loss of ZAR 512 million (US$27 million) in the full year to September 30, 2023.

The intensity of power cuts has eased over the past six months, a trend the government attributes to improved maintenance and a reduction in the number of breakdowns. South Africa has now recorded more than 50 consecutive days without rationing electricity, the longest period of uninterrupted power supply in nearly three years, according to the official statistics agency.

-      Reuters