Bird flu outbreak in Mpumalanga confirmed
The South African Poultry Association has confirmed an outbreak of bird flu on at least two farms in Mpumalanga.
"This is the first time we have had this disease in South Africa and we are disappointed,” the association’s CEO Kevin Lovell says.
The deadly disease has been confirmed on a commercial laying farm as well as a broiler breeder farm, but only affects about 1% off the eggs consumed in South Africa.
"So the impact is minimal but if it continues to spread there will be more impact,” Lovell says.
Lovell says government needs to manage and contain the disease, but the responsibility to respond sits with the poultry industry.
"We will be meeting with government officials soon to look at our emergency response planning. We will sample bird droppings to establish where else the disease could be."
But he says this does not mean that there is a widespread outbreak of bird flu in the province
"There is a great chance that the disease could spread, so if anyone sees dead birds in large numbers they should let the Department of Agriculture know immediately," he says.