South Africa culls 10,000 ostriches to halt avian flu

South Africa has culled 10,000 ostriches but an outbreak of avian flu which resulted in the halt of ostrich-meat exports to the European Union is “on-going,” the department of agriculture said on Tuesday. South Africa suspended exports of ostrich meat to the European Union last month after H5N2 avian flu was detected among birds in the Western Cape Province.

The strain is not as dangerous as the H5N1 virus that has killed hundreds of people globally during periodic outbreaks but is a concern for poultry and other bird meat industries.

“A total of 10,000 ostriches have been culled ... during the current outbreak, and (the department of agriculture) at this stage cannot estimate the total number that will be culled since the outbreak is on-going,” the department said in a statement.

“Currently, the entire Klein Karoo valley, which represents about 70 percent of the ostrich industry, is affected and no movement of ostriches is allowed except to the abattoir for controlled slaughter,” it said.

The South African Ostrich Business Chamber has said the losses from the export ban will be around 108 million rand ($15.4 million) a month.

(Reporting by Ed Stoddard; editing by Keiron Henderson)

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(Reuters)