The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has released that new cases of the H5N8 bird flu virus have been confirmed in Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
A registration process allowed the ministry to trace potentially affected chickens to a farm in Germiston, Gauteng, and one in Kinross, Mpumalanga.
“The farm in Gauteng has a much higher number”, said spokesperson Bomikazi Molapo. “There are over 100 000 chickens on that farm”.
Culling of the chickens, a total of 107 000, will commence immediately. The ministry is adamant, however, that this particular strain of bird flu is not harmful to humans and all meat on the shelves is safe to consume.
This comes after cases of bird flu were reported in the other provinces sparking small panic amongst consumers and prompting neighbouring countries to halt the import of South African chicken.
The department has urged all farmers to ensure that their bio security is put in place correctly.
The total cases of affected farms have now risen to 4.
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