/ 11 August 2004

Switzerland bans SA poultry imports

Swiss authorities said on Wednesday that they have suspended all imports of poultry from South Africa indefinitely following the outbreak of bird flu in ostrich farms in the Eastern Cape.

The ban, imposed by Switzerland on Tuesday, applies to all South African live poultry, poultry meat and feathers processed after August 1, a spokesperson for the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office said.

”It’s mainly for veterinary reasons, this is by far the biggest risk,” spokesperson Franz Geiser said.

”We will see how the situation evolves,” he added.

The Swiss ban does not apply to products that have been cooked or heat-treated, Geiser said.

South Africa had already banned all exports of poultry and poultry products last Friday.

Switzerland is one of South Africa’s largest export markets for poultry.

Testing starts outside quarantine area

Meanwhile, testing of ostriches for avian flu on Wednesday moved outside the quarantine area in the Eastern Cape where it was first detected.

The quarantine area is a 30km radius from the farms Voorspoed and Endor near Somerset East.

Ostriches on a farm outside Cookhouse were being tested by disease control officials from the Department of Agriculture from about 1.30pm on Wednesday.

Blood samples and saliva swabs were taken from the birds to determine if they have avian flu.

About 30 000 ostriches are expected to be culled following an outbreak of avian flu in the area.

Untreated water could be to blame

The South African Veterinary Association (Sava) ”strongly suspects” that the use of untreated surface water transferred the avian influenza virus to ostrich flocks in the Eastern Cape, Sava said on Wednesday.

Open dams or free-running water may have spread the virus to ostriches, which should drink only treated water. Other measures could also prevent infection, Sava said.

”It is … important to discourage the interaction of wild birds with ostriches and free-range poultry,” said Sava president Professor Banie Penzhorn in a statement.

Penzhorn said in practice this means changing feeding methods so that all food is consumed, not the common approach of feeding once a day or even once every few days.

He said it is also recommended that farmers consider night feeding in ostrich feedlots or for young chicks.

”Leftover feed attracts wild birds,” he said.

Penzhorn said if precautionary measures are taken, further outbreaks of bird flu in ostriches and poultry can be prevented.

He said virus identification tests conducted have confirmed the virus as an H5N2 type that is potentially highly pathogenic and dangerous to poultry, with the virus ”unlikely to affect humans”. — Sapa

  • Ostrich culling continues — in secret