August 10, 2004

 

 

EU Weighs Ban On South African Ostriches

 

The European Union (EU) said yesterday it was considering banning South African ostrich imports and products. This move follows the outbreak of a strain of avian influenza virus, which has killed about 1,500 birds on two farms in Eastern Cape.

 

The EU's reaction comes after the South African agriculture department decided to suspend exports of live poultry and related products such as eggs and meat last week.

 

The outbreak of the virus has cost the industry millions of rands. SA is the world's largest exporter of ostrich and related products, and the industry contributes R1.2 billion to the country's annual export earnings.

 

The EU said its commission was on the brink of imposing the ban on imports of ratites flightless birds such as ostriches and emus from SA. It said a decision on the matter was to be adopted in a few days' time.

 

The EU is one of the largest markets for South African ostrich exports, says the South African Ostrich Business Chamber.

 

Hong Kong has already placed a ban on South African poultry products. It announced the ban on Saturday.

 

The government's suspension of poultry exports affects mainly the ostrich industry, because SA is not a chicken exporter.

 

The ostrich chamber's Anton Kruger said if the ban continued for 30 days, farmers' losses would amount to R100 million, putting 20,000 jobs at risk in the industry.

 

A spokesman for the agriculture ministry, Segoati Mahlangu, said that the decision to suspend exports was taken in order to protect SA's reputation in international markets.

 

Mahlangu said the avian influenza virus, also known as H5N2, was regarded as less dangerous to humans than the dreaded H5N1 flu.

 

Earlier this year, the H5N1 strain killed 24 people in Thailand and Vietnam.

 

Mahlangu said the avian influenza virus affecting ostriches in Eastern Cape was not dangerous to human life. He said the department had taken precautionary measures, including extended surveillance, to limit and control the spread of the disease.

 

Agriculture department officials would begin culling ostriches in the affected districts today, Mahlangu said . The department had quarantined farms within the 15km radius of the initial point of the outbreak. Mahlangu said the 30000 ostriches in the area would be tested.

 

An investigation was being conducted to establish the origin of the virus. Mahlangu said that tested samples from other farms were negative, showing that the virus had not spread. There had been no reported cases of the flu in other provinces.

 

Mahlangu said police and the military had set up checkpoints in a 30km radius to prevent the movement of birds.

 

Kruger applauded the department's swift action on the matter, including the suspension of poultry exports.

 

"The South African Ostrich Business Chamber supports this drastic precautionary measure as it will ensure the long-term sustainability of the South African ostrich industry," he said.

 

Kruger said the chamber was in constant liaison with the department "in order to maximise synergy and the effective management of the process".

 

However, he hoped for a speedy end to the problem because of the possible dire consequences to the industry and to employment on ostrich farms.

 

"We do not want to sound alarmist, but this is a matter of major concern to us.

 

"There are only two farms affected by the virus from a total of 600 registered ostrich farms in SA," he said.