Welbedacht farm on the banks of Grootdraai Dam in Standerton infected with Avian Influenza
It is well known that a number of large commercial poultry operations exist in the area, so the presence of this virus in the region presents a serious threat to these operations.
A second outbreak of H5N8 has been isolated and was confirmed on 1 August on an Astral poultry breeding facility, known as Welbedacht.
The farm is situated on the banks of the Grootdraai Dam just outside Standerton.
According to Mr Gary Arnold, Managing Director Agriculture of Astral, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) reported two new cases of H5N8 infection on 31 July in the Lekwa Municipality (Standerton district), where the virus has been detected in wild bird populations and “backyard” chickens.
“It is well known that a number of large commercial poultry operations exist in the area, so the presence of this virus presents a serious threat to these operations,” Mr Arnold said.
Not including the new outbreak on Welbedacht, the total number of outbreaks officially confirmed to date by the DAFF stands at 10, with four reported in commercial poultry, three in wild birds, one in captive hobby birds and two in backyard poultry.
This new outbreak is completely unrelated to the Villiers incident.
Read the complete article in the next edition of the Standerton Advertiser.
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