The SA Poultry Association Egg Organisation has welcomed the announcement by Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister, Thoko Didiza, allowing the import of fertile eggs for hatcheries, and products such as powder and liquid eggs.
This comes as the country grapples with the effects of the avian influenza, which has seen an estimated six million chickens culled this year.
Organisation general manager, Dr Abongile Balarane, said Didiza’s announcement will assist the industry.
“Under normal circumstances, the South African egg industry has about 27 million hens that provide us with eggs daily.
“Unfortunately about six million of those layer hens have been culled with another three million suspected to be affected.
“As an industry, we have fully agreed to import a bulk of powder and liquid eggs which are mainly used for industrial purposes, and then channel all the available fresh table eggs to the consumers.
“This will assist us while we are rebuilding the flock size and waiting for vaccines to be allowed in South Africa.
“We also believe that most of the SADC countries like Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola, and Malawi, which are free from avian influenza, can assist the industry to fill in some of the needed supplies,” said Dr Balarane.
Meanwhile, the South African Poultry Association (Sapa) said the industry has lost a lot due to the outbreak.
Sapa’s Izaak Breitenbach said: “The industry is in distress and we are reeling from these losses. Between load shedding and this avian influenza we are just being hit hard. We need all the assistance that we can get.”
Cape Times