Knysna-Plett Herald | Ostrich setback in perspective

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Ostrich setback in perspective
13:36 (GMT+2), Tue, 29 May 2012

AGRI NEWS - Once filled with hundreds of ostriches, the fields of the Little Karoo are strangely empty.

An outbreak of H5N2 has forced South African farmers to slaughter thousands of ostriches, undermining the economy of this scenic valley in the south of the country.

First detected on 9 April 2011, new tests revealed more positive birds amongst the ostriches, raised mainly for their meat, leather and feathers.

South Africa accounts for 77% of the global ostrich market, and the EU buys 90% of its exports - or they did so, until Brussels banned the meat because of the outbreak.

"The birds won't look sick or anything. If you look at them, they look healthy. The virus can't be transmitted to humans, and it is destroyed while cooking," said Anton Kruger, until recently the chief executive of the South African Ostrich Business Chamber. (SAOBC).

"The primary risk is that the virus could mutate and then affect poultry. The virus afflicting South African farms is known as the H5N2 virus."

More than 52 000 birds
A single positive test resulted in entire farms to go under quarantine, and all the ostriches on such farms were slaughtered. More than 52 000 ostriches have been killed so far, about a quarter of the region's total population.

Farms spared the disease were barred from taking birds to the abattoir before July 2011, meaning they had to be fed for longer than expected. Any transport of the birds was banned.

Normally South Africa produces 250 000 birds per year, earning R2.1bn a year in exports. Most of that comes from the meat, but also their eggs, feathers and leather, which are sought after by designers.

And on average South Africa sends 15 tons of ostrich feathers to Brazil each year for Carnival.
Kruger said that the industry has lost R108m a month, since April 2011.

Labour-intensive industry
Johan Keller had to sacrifice 4 500 birds in early May when the virus was found on his sprawling farm.
The government paid him R2 000 a head, or about 80% of the bird's value. Like various other farmers he also received aid to help him keep his 44 employees on the payroll.

Shortly after his birds and those of his brother Viljee, were slaughtered he said: "Given the health risks we are not really sure we need to try to become the big ostrich farm again like we used to be."

Local economy
According to an article which first reported the impact of the current outbreak on the local economy, a butcher from Oudtshoorn, Johan van Niekerk said the outbreak is dragging down the regional economy. Since then he closed his business in the main street of Oudtshoorn and moved to the industrial area for bulk sales..

"The ostrich industry is quite labour-intensive. There are less people working on the farms. The economy of the whole district is going down," he said.

His butchery in the heart of Oudtshoorn was down about 20%. "The poorer people are suffering the most," he added.

Tourists
H5N2 has also frightened tourists, who provide another source of income on farms like Keler's, where he runs a guesthouse - now serving ostrich steaks bought from his competitors.

"Lots of people misunderstood the health situation. We got lots of cancellations, some people bypassed Oudtshoorn because they thought that there are no more ostriches here," Keller said.

The town holds a prominent spot on the tourist circuit, offering visitors a chance to learn about the birds, watch them race, and even ride them.

One of the biggest show farms, Highgate, closed its doors in June as its sick birds were culled.
Now the farm that once brought in busloads of tourists is deserted. About 40 people lost their jobs and are now trained new skills, especially in tourism.

Prior to his departure from Oudtshoorn to Cape Town where Anton Kruger now heads the South African Fruit Export organization he said: "It will take us at least three years to rebuild the industry."

During the past month another 300 birds were culled from the last farm which tested H5N2 positive during the April routine checks in the 8th round of tests for the presence of the virus.