Mass vaccination of SA poultry launched, Biosecurity Council set up
The first mass vaccination of poultry in South Africa is being launched to contain avian flu as the agriculture sector also grapples with a spreading outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease infecting livestock that has been detected at the world's largest feedlot, in Gauteng.
The Department of Agriculture also announced that it was establishing a Biosecurity Council as it strives to roll '… out a farm to fork national traceability system for livestock' and said it would upgrade the state-run Onderstepoort Biological Products, the main source of animal vaccines in South Africa that has been plagued in recent years by capacity issues.
On the avian flu frontlines, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said in a statement that the vaccination team 'has received a list of farms to be vaccinated from the poultry industry and is prioritising high-risk areas and commercial flocks to contain the virus and prevent further culling'.
Fifty animal health technicians have been roped in with short-term contracts to assist with the vaccination drive.
Critically, the minister said that the department had 'secured vaccine supply' and that Onderstepoort Biological Products was being upgraded '… to restore vaccine self-sufficiency'. The Biosecurity Council will comprise the South African Police Service, veterinarians, scientists, the Border Management Authority, and the industry.
Getting a grip on these multiple threats to animal health and welfare and the agricultural economy is vital and the department is clearly signalling that it is taking a proactive approach.
South Africa's biggest avian flu threat currently is an outbreak in Brazil — the country's biggest external poultry supplier — which led to a ban on imports three weeks ago.
Although the ban is unlikely to cause immediate shortages due to lower seasonal demand and available local supply, it has heightened pressure on domestic producers to manage outbreaks and reinforce biosecurity.
The South African Poultry Association (Sapa) said in a statement last month that the ban should not lead to shortages and that the industry had the capacity to increase domestic output.
Foot-and-mouth outbreak
Meanwhile, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among livestock has spread from KwaZulu-Natal to the Highveld, triggering a Chinese ban on imports of South African beef products.
This export curb is seen as boosting domestic supplies, and possibly as a result local beef prices may trend lower. But livestock movements in the country are being disrupted and this will have consequences for supply chains.
The Department of Agriculture said it had ordered more than 900,000 doses of vaccines to cover KZN, and the first batch was expected to arrive next week.
Karan Beef said this week that a case of foot-and-mouth disease had been confirmed at its Heidelberg feedlot — the world's largest, which produces 100 million kilogrammes of beef annually.
The company said in a statement that about 120,000 cattle were currently housed at the facility, and about 2% of the herd was infected.
'No animals are entering or leaving the Heidelberg feedlot during this period. Vaccination efforts are pending availability from the state. Once initiated, a 14-day vaccination programme will commence, followed by a 14-day observation period,' Karan Beef said.
'A controlled slaughter-out process will be implemented once vaccinations are complete, under veterinary supervision. No mass culling is planned at this stage.'
The outbreak coincides with the peak weaning season, and Karan Beef said this would disrupt national supply chains.
'Farmers may be forced to hold calves longer than usual due to limited feedlot capacity,' it said.
The Department of Agriculture has urged all livestock farmers in South Africa to '… limit animal movement as far as possible'. DM
What this means for you
For now, chicken shortages or major price spikes are unlikely. Local producers say they can plug the gap left by the Brazil ban, and winter demand is typically lower. Beef prices may fall because of the export curb, but domestic supply chain disruptions also loom.
The situation underscores how fragile South Africa's food system is — one outbreak, one trade restriction, and supply chains wobble.
For farmers, expect tighter biosecurity checks and more scrutiny around livestock movements — especially if you're near outbreak zones.
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