Egg and chicken meat shortages loom as bird flu gains momentum

Continuous outbreaks of bird flu may lead to egg and chicken meat shortages in South Africa.

- Jyothi Laldas

Retailers across South Africa have already begun rationing eggs in anticipation of countrywide shortages of eggs and chicken meat due to the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the country.

More than seven million birds have been culled within the South African poultry industry in 2023 since the outbreak, which is being described as one of the most devastating to hit South Africa since the H5N8 bird flu in 2017.

The drastic spread of the outbreak has triggered fears that South Africa will soon face extreme prices in addition to a chicken and egg shortage. As a result, Woolworths has put in place a six-eggs-per-customer limit, except if the store still has stock of packs of 18 or 36 eggs, which are fast being depleted. Pick n Pay said it would be introducing a limit of one or two egg packs per customer depending on the region.

Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza met retailers to discuss the impact of the outbreak at the beginning of October. The minister briefed the retailers on the containment measures that have been taken to limit the spread of the disease, as well as possible solutions to manage such outbreaks in the short and the medium terms, including vaccination.

According to department spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo, the main challenge is primarily on the egg production side, where there are supply constraints in some regions of the country.