There is a possibility of egg and chicken shortages around the country due to the avian flu outbreak, given the number of chickens that have been culled or killed by the disease, the South African Poultry Association (Sapa) has warned. Outbreaks of the deadly virus have been recorded in six provinces, putting thousands of jobs on the line. The Western Cape, where there have been reports of egg shortages and price increases in poultry products, has been the worst affected by the disease. The province is one of SA’s main agriculture regions and the second-largest producer of broiler and eggs. The poultry industry in the Western Cape is projecting production losses amounting to R800m due to an outbreak of avian flu. "We had indications that there may be shortages of hatching eggs, particularly for meat-producing chickens," said Charlotte Nkuna, the acting CEO of Sapa. To alleviate the shortage, the industry was working with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to devel...
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