(MENAFN- The Post)
AGRICULTURE Minister Thabo Mofosi has temporarily banned imports of all poultry and poultry products from South Africa due to a bird flu outbreak.
The highly infectious bird flu has struck several provinces in South Africa, affecting major chicken farms.
There are reports that South Africa has culled 7.5 million birds, between 20 and 30 percent of its production chicken stock.
Mofosi issued a directive revoking all import permits for poultry and poultry products with immediate effect.
“Our vets are consulting with their counterparts in South Africa,” Mofosi said in a televised announcement.
“They will say when the permits will be restored once imports are considered safe.”
One of the major poultry producers in South Africa, Astral Foods, reported that it is heading for a massive loss as the stock of poultry will come under severe strain.
Shoprite shops have been limiting customers to two 5kg packs of chicken since last week.
Makhalema Poultry Farm manager, Rethabile Makhalema, imports poultry chicks from South Africa every month for reselling and keeping for egg production in Lesotho.
He says Lesotho should brace itself for a massive shortage of poultry products.
Makhelema said this is the second month the delivery has failed due to the outbreak of bird flu.
“There will be no delivery of poultry chicks,” Makhalema said.
He said several South African companies have told him that they cannot deliver.
“Very soon we will have to retrench some workers since there is no work anymore,” Makhalema said.
“In the coming weeks, the production of eggs will decline,” he said.
“If the situation remains unchanged, the production of eggs will ultimately stop.”
Namibia has also banned imports from South Africa.
The bird flu outbreak comes as South Africa's chicken industry is already grappling with power shortages which have hit their production.
Chicken is the most imported meat in Lesotho.
In the 2019/2020 season chicken constituted 81.1 percent of meat imports from South Africa.
Pork was 15.8 percent, beef 2.3 percent and mutton 0.7 percent.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says“Although avian (bird) influenza (flu) A viruses usually do not infect people, there have been some rare cases of human infection with these viruses”.
It says“Illness in humans from bird flu virus infections have ranged in severity from no symptoms or mild illness to severe disease that resulted in death”.
Staff Reporter
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