The first outbreak struck Lanark Farm in May, where Irvine’s Zimbabwe was forced to slaughter 140 000 chickens.

By Farai Mabeza

ZIMBABWE’S poultry industry, crippled by an outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) commonly referred to as bird flu, is hoping for a quick recovery, the Zimbabwe Poultry Association chairperson, Solomon Zawe, has said.
Two outbreaks of the disease were reported in May and July at Lanark Farm, a commercial poultry producer 25 km south of Harare. The farm is owned by the biggest chicken breeder in the country, Irvine’s.
The farm is still under three-month quarantine and no new outbreak has been reported, raising hope that the poultry industry could now start recovering.
“The outbreak is contained. It’s still at one site and all the birds that were affected have been culled and buried at the site and all the manure has also been buried on the site and they are busy cleaning. The place is still under quarantine,” Zawe told The Financial Gazette.
“The industry is down at this point but not out. There is light at the end of the tunnel as soon as they clear us from the quarantine,” he said.
Irvine’s has operations across Zimbabwe through out-grower schemes that feed into the company’s colossal distribution network. Zawe feels that the government’s response to the outbreak has been effective.
“We are 100 percent happy; the public sector workers are working with us and we are also happy that the disease is only at one site. 
“So far, so we are happy,” he said. 
Government has allowed the industry to import hatching eggs for both day-old chicks and layers. Zawe said this would also have a positive impact on the industry.
“At this point, we are importing hatchings from wherever. It’s good for us so we should be picking up again. The shortage of foreign currency is going to affect us here and there but we are all used to it as Zimbabweans,” he said. 
By the beginning of September, over 250 000 chickens made up of 180 000 broiler parent stock and 83 000 layers had been culled at Irvine’s to stop the spread of the highly contagious bird flu virus.
In addition to Zimbabwe, the flu has also been reported in South Africa and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
South Africa was hit by 24 outbreaks of the H5N8 strain in June, including 10 at commercial chicken farms and three at ostrich farms.
The local market is feeling the impact of the bird flu outbreak as table eggs and day-old chicks are becoming either scarce or expensive for the consumers.
“There is nothing to panic about. It’s a passing phase. It happens in industry where diseases come, no one can control diseases. 
“Diseases come by wild birds and they can come and go so we just have to be alert. We are working on it. We sympathise with those affected,” Zawe said.

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