The South African Poultry Association (SAPA) welcomes the initiative by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen to introduce a regulatory framework that allows for vaccination as part of South Africa's strategy to combat Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

The Minister announced on June 3 his intention to amend the Animal Diseases Regulations to allow for HPAI vaccinations in the country and confirmed that interim control measures would be put in place while the policy shift is being formalised.

Farmers will therefore use a combination of vaccination, biosecurity and testing practices to stop the requirement for widespread culling and the resultant financial losses, as has been experienced in prior HPAI outbreak periods.

The Department of Agriculture (DoA) acknowledged the need for the new rules to balance disease control requirements so that both big commercial operations and smallholder farmers can have the space to effectively deal with HPAI outbreaks on their farms.

Steenhuisen said the DoA would set up and run national surveillance systems for HPAI, laboratory testing and ensure that farming entities adhere to regulations when there are outbreaks on their farms.

For SAPA, the decision to introduce vaccination as part of the country’s strategy to combat HPAI is a significant milestone for the poultry industry and follows SAPA's sustained engagement with government to secure practical, science-based solutions that better protect poultry flocks, safeguard food security and preserve jobs throughout the poultry value chain.

For several years, SAPA has consistently advocated for a modernised approach to bird flu management that aligns with international best practice.

The industry's concerns have centred on the limitations of a policy framework that relied almost exclusively on widespread culling as the primary disease control mechanism, resulting in severe economic losses, disruptions to egg and poultry meat supply and increased costs for consumers.

“The Minister's intervention provides a pathway towards a more balanced and sustainable disease management model that incorporates vaccination, enhanced biosecurity, surveillance, testing, and responsible outbreak management,” says SAPA Broiler Organisation CEO Izaak Breitenbach.

He adds that SAPA appreciates Steenhuisen’s willingness to engage with the industry's concerns and to act decisively in support of South African poultry producers.

SAPA does not consider vaccination a silver bullet, but believes it is an essential tool that has been successfully incorporated into HPAI control programmes in many countries.

“Combined with robust biosecurity and surveillance measures, it will significantly strengthen our ability to manage disease risks while maintaining production and food security."

SAPA also welcomes Steenhuisen’s commitment to establish interim measures while the formal regulatory amendments are finalised, saying that timely implementation will be critical in providing certainty to producers and reducing the risk of future disease-related disruptions.

The introduction of a practical HPAI vaccination framework represents an important step towards protecting the livelihoods that are sustained by South Africa’s poultry industry, while ensuring consumers continue to have access to affordable poultry products, Breitenbach emphasises.

SAPA says it looks forward to engaging constructively with the DoA during the implementation phase and remains committed to supporting measures that strengthen animal health, protect the national poultry flock and promote the long-term sustainability of the sector.