Chicken imports banned

GOVERNMENT has indefinitely banned the import of chicken, eggs and all other poultry products from South Africa.

This follows an outbreak of the deadly avian influenza among ostriches in the Eastern Cape, which has killed about 6 000 birds in the last three weeks. With Namibia almost totally reliant on its southern neighbour for its supply of chicken meat, consumers could find it increasingly difficult to purchase chicken in about two weeks, when local suppliers say they are likely to run out of stock.In a statement, Government’s Chief Veterinary Officer Archie Norval said no veterinary permits would be issued for the importation of poultry meat, eggs, live chickens, ostriches and other birds until further notice.All permits issued before the ban are now automatically cancelled.The decision follows South Africa’s self-imposed ban on all its poultry exports, which came into effect on Friday.VIGILANCE URGEDNorval said the decision had been taken to protect local poultry and ostrich populations as the country is currently free of the disease.Namibia’s poultry and ostrich farmers have been urged to keep a close watch on their flocks and to report any suspicions of the disease to the nearest State veterinarian.Avian influenza is a highly contagious disease which affects primarily chickens and turkeys but can affect other avian species too.There is no treatment for the bird flu.South African officials have not yet been able to identify the source of the outbreak Yesterday South Africa, the world’s largest exporter of ostrich meat, began culling about 30 000 birds to stem the spread of the bird flu.SUPPLIERS MULL OPTIONSOne of the biggest local suppliers of chicken meat, Fish and Poultry World, said yesterday that the ban would have a “big-time” effect on their business.Buying and Imports Manager Jared Geyser said almost all their monthly supply of chicken meat came from South Africa.Arrangements, he said, were being made to import chickens from Brazil instead during this period as Zimbabwe was not a viable option because of the current exchange rate.Vector Logistics, which imports about 400 tonnes of chicken meat a month for sale to local suppliers, has said that it, too, was working on finding alternative sources of supply.”We are all going to run out of stock eventually,” said the company’s local manager, Keith Oelofse.He said the company was caught unawares by the ban and that trucks travelling from South Africa on Friday were forced to turn back when they reached the Namibian border.Eckard Waldschmidt, Vice Chairperson of the Poultry Producers’ Association, and one of the country’s biggest suppliers of eggs, told The Namibian that the ban was unlikely to affect supply for up to three months.Namibian producers are able to meet about 70 per cent of local egg demand.Waldschmidt said should the ban be imposed for up to six months, producers could find themselves in a predicament.Importing eggs from overseas would become problematic as they could not be transported for periods as long as frozen chickens.Within the next few months, egg producers would also need to import new, young chickens for breeding purposes.Waldschmidt said that after a year the birds became less productive.Chicken fast-food outlets said that the ban would only affect their businesses if it was in place for longer than two weeks, when suppliers would no longer be able to assist them.Kentucky Fried Chicken Area Manager Angela Sonn said she hoped the currently available supplies would carry the country’s six outlets through until then.The Manager of Nando’s biggest outlet in Namibia, Phillip Mouton, said their supplies would last for another week and a half.He said every effort was being made to find alternative supplies of chicken meat, but gave the assurance that the quality of their product would not be compromised as a result.OSTRICH ADVANTAGEOnly the ostrich industry appears to be on the winning side of the ban.Frikkie Mouton, Managing Director of Ostrich Production, Namibia said the restrictions would not adversely affect his company, as it did not import any birds from South Africa.In fact, he said, the ban could prove to their advantage considering that it could get them into South Africa’s export markets.Avian influenza presents signs of severe depression and a lack of appetite in birds, a drastic decline in egg production, facial oedema, swollen combs and wattles and almost a 100 per cent sudden death rate in bird species.The flu can be transmitted through the direct contact of secretions from infected birds, contaminated feed and water and broken, contaminated eggs that may infect chicks in the incubator.South African authorities have identified the strain of avian influenza as H5N2, regarded as less dangerous than the H5N1 variety which ravaged chicken farms across Asia and crossed over to humans earlier this year.It killed 24 people in Thailand and Vietnam.The South African outbreak has been deemed to pose little risk to humans.With Namibia almost totally reliant on its southern neighbour for its supply of chicken meat, consumers could find it increasingly difficult to purchase chicken in about two weeks, when local suppliers say they are likely to run out of stock.In a statement, Government’s Chief Veterinary Officer Archie Norval said no veterinary permits would be issued for the importation of poultry meat, eggs, live chickens, ostriches and other birds until further notice.All permits issued before the ban are now automatically cancelled.The decision follows South Africa’s self-imposed ban on all its poultry exports, which came into effect on Friday.VIGILANCE URGEDNorval said the decision had been taken to protect local poultry and ostrich populations as the country is currently free of the disease.Namibia’s poultry and ostrich farmers have been urged to keep a close watch on their flocks and to report any suspicions of the disease to the nearest State veterinarian.Avian influenza is a highly contagious disease which affects primarily chickens and turkeys but can affect other avian species too.There is no treatment for the bird flu.South African officials have not yet been able to identify the source of the outbreak Yesterday South Africa, the world’s largest exporter of ostrich meat, began culling about 30 000 birds to stem the spread of the bird flu.SUPPLIERS MULL OPTIONSOne of the biggest local suppliers of chicken meat, Fish and Poultry World, said yesterday that the ban would have a “big-time” effect on their business.Buying and Imports Manager Jared Geyser said almost all their monthly supply of chicken meat came from South Africa.Arrangements, he said, were being made to import chickens from Brazil instead during this period as Zimbabwe was not a viable option because of the current exchange rate.Vector Logistics, which imports about 400 tonnes of chicken meat a month for sale to local suppliers, has said that it, too, was working on finding alternative sources of supply.”We are all going to run out of stock eventually,” said the company’s local manager, Keith Oelofse.He said the company was caught unawares by the ban and that trucks travelling from South Africa on Friday were forced to turn back when they reached the Namibian border.Eckard Waldschmidt, Vice Chairperson of the Poultry Producers’ Association, and one of the country’s biggest suppliers of eggs, told The Namibian that the ban was unlikely to affect supply for up to three months.Namibian producers are able to meet about 70 per cent of local egg demand.Waldschmidt said should the ban be imposed for up to six months, producers could find themselves in a predicament.Importing eggs from overseas would become problematic as they could not be transported for periods as long as frozen chickens.Within the next few months, egg producers would also need to import new, young chickens for breeding purposes.Waldschmidt said that after a year the birds became less productive.Chicken fast-food outlets said that the ban would only affect their businesses if it was in place for longer than two weeks, when suppliers would no longer be able to assist them.Kentucky Fried Chicken Area Manager Angela Sonn said she hoped the currently available supplies would carry the country’s six outlets through until then.The Manager of Nando’s biggest outlet in Namibia, Phillip Mouton, said their supplies would last for another week and a half.He said every effort was being made to find alternative supplies of chicken meat, but gave the assurance that the quality of their product would not be compromised as a result.OSTRICH ADVANTAGEOnly the ostrich industry appears to be on the winning side of the ban.Frikkie Mouton, Managing Director of Ostrich Production, Namibia said the restrictions would not adversely affect his company, as it did not import any birds from South Africa.In fact, he said, the ban could prove to their advantage considering that it could get them into South Africa’s export markets.Avian influenza presents signs of severe depression and a lack of appetite in birds, a drastic decline in egg production, facial oedema, swollen combs and wattles and almost a 100 per cent sudden death rate in bird species.The flu can be transmitted through the direct contact of secretions from infected birds, contaminated feed and water and broken, contaminated eggs that may infect chicks in the incubator.South African authorities have identified the strain of avian influenza as H5N2, regarded as less dangerous than the H5N1 variety which ravaged chicken farms across Asia and crossed over to humans earlier this year.It killed 24 people in Thailand and Vietnam.The South African outbreak has been deemed to pose little risk to humans.