By Carien Kruger
The Department of Agriculture seems eager to start vaccinating against bird flu as soon as possible, but a major broiler producer says the crux is whether it will be cheaper and practicable and whether producers who want to export will still be able to do so.
Dipepeneneng Serage, deputy director-general of the Department of Agriculture, said at the AVI Africa conference in Kempton Park on Tuesday, 3 June, that the department has played its part by allocating funds to enable egg and broiler chicken farmers to start vaccinating their chickens against bird flu.
The money will be used for resources such as veterinarians visiting farms as part of the observation requirements to vaccinate.
Colin Steenhuisen, newly elected chairman of the South African Poultry Association’s egg organisation, asked egg and broiler chicken farmers to complete the registration forms sent to them by the unions.
“Don’t think it’s about the government trying to spy on you. The information requested is essential in determining what resources are needed to provide services to farms, such as the number of veterinary personnel who must control and monitor the vaccinations.”
Serage actually hoped vaccination could begin this month, but some outstanding issues remain to be resolved and scientists and experts from, among others, the Agricultural Research Council, the University of Pretoria, and the department will join forces to find solutions.
Julian Madeley, director general of the World Egg Organization, spoke before Serage and said that there is a worldwide movement toward vaccination, promoted by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
In response, Serage said “the world is moving and South Africa must be among the first to start with this. The conversation is now about ‘how’ it will be done.”
Old laying hens
One of the most important issues for egg farmers is what they will be allowed to do with vaccinated hens after they reach the end of their productive lifetime. Currently, these hens are sold on the market as live chickens, an important source of income for producers.
Serage said that at first, the state thought all these hens should be culled, but in the meantime, it was decided that this was not necessary and that they should be slaughtered. Solutions still need to be found, and he said more research is needed. (These hens are larger and much older than broiler chickens.)
Export with traceability
South African poultry producers export products to countries in the Southern African Development Community that do not want to accept products from vaccinated chickens or their offspring.
Serage indicated that trade may still be possible if the vaccinated chickens and products are fully traceable.
Biosecurity essential
He emphasised that vaccination is complementary to biosecurity and does not replace it. “It is the farmer’s responsibility to ensure that his chickens are not infected and that his contamination does not affect his neighbour.
“It is our job to ensure that farming is a profitable business, that you can keep farming, that you can export, and that you have everything you need to farm. Please play your part too.”
He also said that the state will not compensate producers for losses they suffer due to bird flu outbreaks because it is too expensive, and the state does not have the money.
“If all goes well (with vaccination), the death rate should be lower.”
Cost and export are key aspects
Following Serage’s speech, Marthinus Stander, CEO of Rainbow, one of the major broiler chicken producers, told African Farming that Rainbow’s most important questions are whether vaccination will be affordable and feasible, and what will happen to exports if a producer vaccinates.
Rainbow is monitoring the progress of the process but is currently not applying to vaccinate its breeding flocks because of the requirements’ impeding cost, and because they have export aspirations.
Stander said Serage’s emphasis on vaccinating in South Africa and research to incorporate science into the process of finding solutions to the outstanding issues were “a fresh breeze”.
He was also cautiously optimistic about the possibility that 100% traceability could enable export but was unsure if this could apply to the broader Southern Africa.
In the same breath, Stander said it might also work to use a compartment system to export, if the country to which it exports accepts it. In addition, chickens in the specific compartment should not be vaccinated, and traceability to the finished product should be ensured.
