Bird flu was diagnosed at a production plant in Mozambique’s Inhambane province, leading to the culling of 45,000 laying hens that produced about 44,000 eggs daily for consumption, it was announced this Thursday.
It is linked to dozens of outbreaks of two different strains of bird flu that are spreading in neighboring South Africa, following concerns raised by Mozambican authorities who have ordered the birds destroyed.
This is an egg production facility located in the Morrumbene region of southern Mozambique, owned by a South African businessman who supplied eggs to this most tourist province of the country and other neighboring regions that are just about to resume operations. after the completion of this process, in February next year.
Intervention in this egg production enterprise, according to the investor, will lead to monthly losses of 13 million metises (192 thousand euros).
“We encourage poultry farmers to implement biosecurity measures in their production facilities,” National Livestock Development Director América da Conceição said.
South Africa has culled about 2.5 million chickens as it tries to contain dozens of outbreaks of two separate strains of bird flu that are threatening an already struggling industry, the South African government said on October 3.
More than 205,000 chickens have died from bird flu in at least 60 separate outbreaks across the country, more than half of which occurred in Gauteng province, which includes the country’s largest city Johannesburg and the administrative capital Pretoria.
Some small shops in Johannesburg have begun limiting the number of eggs available to customers and the government has now admitted there are “supply constraints”.
The South African government is speeding up the issuance of new licenses to import eggs from other countries “to ensure consumers have enough eggs,” Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza said.
The ministry is also considering launching a vaccination program to curb bird flu outbreaks and says the number of farms with cases is rising.
Namibia has banned the import of chicken meat and eggs from neighboring South Africa.
The current avian influenza crisis is the worst since 2017, according to the South African Poultry Association.
Several North American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month that bird flu outbreaks are increasing worldwide, reporting more than 21,000 outbreaks worldwide between 2013 and 2022. Bird flu Birds rarely infect humans.
Eggs are an important and affordable source of protein in South Africa, but prices have risen steadily this year and shortages caused by bird flu are expected to again drive up prices and increase food inflation in the country.
The South African chicken industry has already been hit hard by power shortages this year, with regular power cuts to save energy affecting companies’ solvency.
South African farmers announced in January this year that they were forced to slaughter nearly 10 million young chickens due to a record number of power outages experienced by Africa’s most advanced economy earlier in the year, causing a sharp slowdown in production.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal

I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.