Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in North West and Mpumalanga have once again placed South Africa’s poultry industry on high alert.

In response, a major development has been the issuing of a permit to Astral Foods to begin vaccinating its flocks, marking the first commercial roll-out of the HPAI vaccine in the country. This shift in strategy aims to curb the spread of the disease and protect production.

Farmer’s Weekly editor Janine Ryan spoke to Izaak Breitenbach, CEO of the Broiler Organisation at the South African Poultry Association, about the status of the current outbreaks, the role of vaccination, and the broader implications for biosecurity and disease control.