The South African Ostrich Business Chamber (SAOBC) with the endorsement of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) enlisted the assistance of the internationally-recognised Avian Influenza experts to assess the current situation and advice on the sustainability of the Ostrich industry in South Africa.
The week-long workshop conducted by the European Union (EU) experts was attended by the provincial and national Veterinary Services as well as the representatives from the SAOBC.
The purpose of the workshop was to deal with the current crisis plaguing the industry, which has led to the banning of the export of ostrich meat from SA since April 2011, following the outbreak of the H5N2 Avian Influenza - commonly known as Avian Flu.
After evaluating the current situation, the experts advised that the industry must be restructured in order to be sustainable. The biggest changes that have to be implemented are to limit the movement of ostriches and implementing stricter bio-security measures on the farms. The density of ostriches, in certain areas, will also have to be reduced.
The experts stressed that the ostrich industry, in partnership with government, must ensure a reliable and sustainable disease control system in the interest of other susceptible birds and to create an enabling environment that will help expedite there assumption of meat exports.
The resumption of the meat exports will be negotiated with the trading partners (EU) once the identified shortcomings in the current system have been addressed and recommendations implemented. It is not clear at this stage when the meat exports will resume.
The SAOBC has expressed its gratitude towards government for its involvement and active participation in the workshop.
Enquiries:
Selby Bokaba
Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Cell: 082 778 0245
