Cost mounts as avian flu spreads
• Infection takes hold in other sheds at farm in Mpumalanga, with the cost of the outbreak already at R50m
The outbreak of avian influenza at two of Astral’s breeding farms had so far cost it R50m, the company said. /
The outbreak of avian influenza at two of its breeding farms has so far cost it R50m, Astral says.
The group said that despite its best efforts, the infection at its second breeding site had spread beyond an isolated shed.
In a statement released on Thursday, Astral said that the avian flu at Welbedacht farm had mushroomed.
“Notwithstanding a huge effort and numerous measures implemented to contain the infection to the one affected shed, the infection has spread to other sheds on the farm.
“The farm remains under quarantine and Astral has depopulated the affected sheds,” the poultry producer said.
It stressed that it would still sell chicken to the market.
“All the contingency plans have ensured continued supply of hatching eggs and broiler dayold chicks to the broiler farms, and, as such, will not have any impact on broiler supply to Astral’s poultry processing plants or the supply of chicken to the market,” the group said.
On June 22, Astral’s chickens suffered their first outbreak of the disease, called H5N8, at one of its farms in the Villiers district. This was followed in August by the outbreak at Welbedacht on the banks of the Grootdraai Dam in Mpumalanga.
Altogether, 16 outbreaks have occurred in SA since June, mainly in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
Avian influenza is a viral respiratory disease of birds believed to be transmitted by wild migratory birds.
In Southern Africa, the H5N8 strain of the disease has also affected the poultry industry in Zimbabwe, where thousands of commercial birds have died or have been culled.
There is neither a preventive vaccine nor a treatment for HPAI H5N8. Current practice in most regions of the world involves the culling of infected birds.
This strain of the virus has so far shown no sign of being infectious to people.