The Western Cape government has confirmed 36 cases of avian flu in the province and has placed 70 ostrich farms under quarantine.It says it has initiated a province-wide recovery plan to combat the effects of bird flu on agriculture, which is already reeling from a long drought. The provincial government did not provide details of the plan.Alan Winde, minister of economic opportunities in the province, says more than 2-million birds have been culled. He projects immediate production losses of more than R800m."The Western Cape is the worst affected province in SA. In the Western Cape, the outbreak has hit the Paardeberg area, the region with the highest concentration of poultry farms," he said on Monday.Winde said a humanitarian relief plan was being drafted this week to support farming communities affected by the outbreak, along with a monitoring system to mitigate environmental affects.The Western Cape government has convened a joint operations centre, including the provincial depa...
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