AGRICULTURE NEWS - Outlining the government's bird flu vaccination strategy at AVI Africa, the Deputy Director-General for Agricultural Production, Biosecurity and Natural Resources Management, Dipepeneneng Serage, said their strategy with the first ever mass vaccination is about ensuring the maximum benefit of vaccination with the minimum risk of the negative effects that come from uncontrolled use.
Serage, a keynote speaker at the recent AVI Africa poultry conference and exhibition at Emperors Palace in Gauteng, confirmed that government is proceeding with the vaccination strategy against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
The poultry industry has been fearing an outbreak of bird flu in South Africa as the virus migrates with wild birds from Europe to South Africa in winter.
Following AVI Africa, the South Africa Poultry Association issued a statement calling the mass vaccination a "significant development for South Africa’s agricultural sector".
Bird flu has been causing deaths in a variety of bird species on Marion Island, about 1 920 km southeast of Cape Town, and in May this year South Africa suspended imports of live poultry, eggs as well as fresh and frozen poultry meat from Brazil following an outbreak of HPAI in the Latin American country.
Serage highlighted the department’s commitment to ensuring that farming can continue safely and sustainably. “My job is to bring science and legislation together and allow farmers to farm without risking anyone’s health, while positioning South Africa as a net exporter of food,” he said.
The poultry association says government’s HPAI vaccination strategy is a controlled, science-based approach.
The strategy will focus on four key pillars:
1. Controlled use of vaccines - Only vaccines registered in South Africa will be used. Sales and distribution will be strictly controlled, and farmers must register and comply with biosecurity and surveillance protocols.
2. Biosecurity - Enhanced on-farm practices will remain critical to preventing disease spread.
3. Traceability - All vaccinated flocks must be trackable to maintain export integrity and health transparency.
4. Surveillance - Ongoing monitoring will ensure early detection and effective management of any outbreaks.
According to the poultry association, South Africa is ready to begin vaccinations immediately.
Three H5 vaccines have been officially registered for use, with an H7 vaccine currently under development.
One farm is already under evaluation for compliance and may be the first to begin vaccinations under the new framework.
“We have the data, we know which farms we’re starting with - now we have to start,” said Serage.
Serage acknowledged that science is still evolving, but the urgency of the situation requires action. “We hope science can evolve much faster so we can talk about HPAI vaccination freely,” he said.
Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, who also attended AVI Africa, said government is prioritising high-risk areas and commercial flocks.
Steenhuisen said they are building in traceability and reporting mechanisms as part of a wider preparedness strategy.
The South Africa Poultry Association says this move represents a major step forward for biosecurity in South Africa’s poultry industry and signals government’s determination to protect both public health and the country's agricultural economy.
In an earlier statement, the association said the impact of an outbreak on the industry is severe.
"In 2023, more than 9,6 million birds were culled, representing more than a third of long-living birds in the greater Gauteng area, where 90% of birds were either culled or died.
"The direct minimum estimated loss to the industry was R9,5-billion."
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