The SA Poultry industry is scrambling to deal with an outbreak of a highly pathogenic bird flu. This comes as the country is dealing with an avian flu outbreak that has led to the culling of nearly 7 million chickens.
The experts estimated that it would take between 6 to 12 months to crack the egg and chicken shortage.
Food importer Roy Thomas says imports are the best short-term answer.
“The most immediate solution to the shortage that is impending is imports. For instance, the transit time for Brazil is four weeks. So, you could realistically have a product on the shelf within six to eight weeks. So, the only way in order to ensure a supply chain that is at a competitive price for the local consumer is to open imports so that we as importers can provide the stock that the avian flu would have taken out of the local market.”
Avian Flu | Impact on SA’s poultry industry: Tshepo Mongoai
