700 tons of chicken flying Namibia’s way

LOCAL suppliers of chicken appear to have averted a potential supply shortage in Namibia by securing imports from Brazil.

One of the biggest local suppliers of chicken meat, Fish and Poultry World, said yesterday that it would be importing as much as 700 tons of chicken (about 500 000 whole birds) from Brazil over the next month to meet local demand. The company supplies the Ministry of Defence, several supermarket chains as well as popular fast-food outlets Kentucky Fried Chicken and Nandos.This follows South Africa’s indefinite, self-imposed ban almost two weeks ago on the export of all its poultry products while it battles to contain the deadly avian flu among its ostrich population in the eastern Cape.Namibia reaffirmed the ban last week, saying it would not issue permits for the import of poultry meat, eggs, live chickens, ostriches and other birds from South Africa until further notice.Avian influenza is a highly contagious disease primarily of chickens and turkeys.This week, South African authorities said they believed the bird flu outbreak had spread to more ostrich farms forcing the slaughter of at least another 4 000 ostriches.This follows last week’s cull of 6 000 birds.The South African ministry of agriculture has said that as many as 30 000 ostriches might have to be killed to contain the virus.Buying and Imports Manager of Fish and Poultry World Jared Geyser said yesterday that the first consignment of frozen chicken from Brazil had already arrived in Durban, South Africa, and was scheduled to travel by road to Namibia this week.Geyser said there was a minimal cost implication for buying from South America as opposed to South Africa but, the ban aside, Namibia would have eventually had to resort to obtaining chickens from abroad as the South African supply had recently become tighter.The General Manager of Model Pick ‘n Pay stores in Namibia, Terence Harty, said yesterday that his outlets had not been affected by the recent ban and that their stores were well stocked.When the ban came into effect, stores were ordered to buy as much of their supply as was available from local suppliers.Another major local supplier of chicken meat in Namibia, Vector Logistics, said while it had been tough meeting customer demands over the past week, the situation would improve by next week.Manager Keith Oelofse said they would buy from South African importers who were also tapping into Brazilian markets.The company sells about 400 tons of chicken meat a month to local dealers.On Tuesday an American company, Chiron Corp., won a US$1,2 million contract to develop a vaccine against a strain of bird flu that can infect humans.However, the South African strain of flu, identified as H5N2, is not harmful to humans.A more virulent strain has swept across poultry farms and markets in Asia this year resulting in more than 100 million birds being killed and the deaths of at least 27 people.South Africa last had an outbreak of avian flu in the early 1990s that it managed to contain.The company supplies the Ministry of Defence, several supermarket chains as well as popular fast-food outlets Kentucky Fried Chicken and Nandos.This follows South Africa’s indefinite, self-imposed ban almost two weeks ago on the export of all its poultry products while it battles to contain the deadly avian flu among its ostrich population in the eastern Cape.Namibia reaffirmed the ban last week, saying it would not issue permits for the import of poultry meat, eggs, live chickens, ostriches and other birds from South Africa until further notice.Avian influenza is a highly contagious disease primarily of chickens and turkeys.This week, South African authorities said they believed the bird flu outbreak had spread to more ostrich farms forcing the slaughter of at least another 4 000 ostriches.This follows last week’s cull of 6 000 birds.The South African ministry of agriculture has said that as many as 30 000 ostriches might have to be killed to contain the virus.Buying and Imports Manager of Fish and Poultry World Jared Geyser said yesterday that the first consignment of frozen chicken from Brazil had already arrived in Durban, South Africa, and was scheduled to travel by road to Namibia this week.Geyser said there was a minimal cost implication for buying from South America as opposed to South Africa but, the ban aside, Namibia would have eventually had to resort to obtaining chickens from abroad as the South African supply had recently become tighter.The General Manager of Model Pick ‘n Pay stores in Namibia, Terence Harty, said yesterday that his outlets had not been affected by the recent ban and that their stores were well stocked.When the ban came into effect, stores were ordered to buy as much of their supply as was available from local suppliers.Another major local supplier of chicken meat in Namibia, Vector Logistics, said while it had been tough meeting customer demands over the past week, the situation would improve by next week.Manager Keith Oelofse said they would buy from South African importers who were also tapping into Brazilian markets.The company sells about 400 tons of chicken meat a month to local dealers.On Tuesday an American company, Chiron Corp., won a US$1,2 million contract to develop a vaccine against a strain of bird flu that can infect humans.However, the South African strain of flu, identified as H5N2, is not harmful to humans.A more virulent strain has swept across poultry farms and markets in Asia this year resulting in more than 100 million birds being killed and the deaths of at least 27 people.South Africa last had an outbreak of avian flu in the early 1990s that it managed to contain.