Avian flue: Another local outlet bites the dust

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. . . as Galitos closes all its outlets

RETHABILE MOHONO

MASERU – Galitos outlets in Lesotho have been temporarily closed due to the ongoing shortage of chicken triggered by the Avian Flu outbreak in neighbouring South Africa the sole authorised supplier of chicken to the fast food chain. As Galitos announced this move on social media this week, the popular fast food outlet joins KFC Lesotho which has also temporarily closed all its locations across the country in compliance with government regulations not to import chicken from South Africa which is also the only source of chicken for the popular global fast food chain..

The closures are the result of restrictions on the importation of poultry products from South Africa due to the outbreak of Avian Flu.

Despite this setback, KFC Lesotho assures its customers that food quality and safety remain their utmost priority. They source their poultry products exclusively from certified AI-free farms in South Africa, which undergo rigorous daily testing to ensure they are free from Avian flu.

Shoprite, like other retailers, is experiencing a shortage of chicken and as part of ways to address this issue, the store initially implemented a policy of limiting customers to purchasing only two braai packs per person. However, since last Wednesday, there has been a complete absence of cooked, packed, or frozen chicken in most Shoprite retail stores.

In the few supermarkets where chicken is still available, prices have significantly increased, as observed by this reporter. A survey at one supermarket owned by an Asian business, the price of a 2kg braai pack increased from M78 to M100 while a 5kg pack has increased from M175 to M245.

One of the retail stores manager expressed concern that despite the absence of price increases, the store may soon run out of chicken stock completely

“This is the reason behind the decision to restrict customers to two packs of chicken per purchase,” the manager said, noting that the store has been struggling with the supply of eggs, even prior to Lesotho’s recent ban on the importation of poultry and poultry products from South Africa (SA).

Lesotho, along with other neighbouring countries, imposed a ban on the importation of poultry and poultry products from SA.

This decision has been made in response to recent outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), specifically the H5N1 and H7N6 strains, which have occurred in various provinces of South Africa including Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Northwest, Free State, and Kwazulu-Natal, during the months of September and October in the year 2023.

Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is a viral infection that can infect not only birds but also humans and other animals. Symptoms of bird flu in humans include cough, diarrhoea, respiratory difficulties, fever (over 100.4°F or 38°C), headache, muscle aches, malaise, runny nose, and sore throat.

Bird flu is transmitted to humans through contact with infected bird faeces, nasal secretions, or secretions from the mouth or eyes. Generally, the first signs of sick animals include a drop in production, meaning that sick chickens will produce very few (if any) eggs. This, together with the added mitigation of placing farms under quarantine, means no eggs from these infected farms will find their way to retail shelves.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, through its Department of Livestock Services, took the drastic action to ensure the safety and security of Lesotho’s poultry industry. Consequently, all import permits that have been issued for poultry and poultry products were suspended with immediate effect.

According to one of the poultry producers of the Quantum Foods (QFHJ.J), at least two million chickens were culled to curb the spread of the virus. Media reports also show that another South African poultry producer, Astral Foods (ARLJ.J), said the total losses associated with the Avia Flu outbreak amount to up to 220 million rand.

It further stated that there are currently 49 new HAI cases, that have been recorded from April 18, 2023, to September 5, 2023, and 10 of which have been confirmed to be caused by HPAI H5, while 39 were confirmed to be caused by HPAI H7. “New cases have been reported in all types of commercial chicken in the provinces of Kwazulu-Natal, Western Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Northwest, respectively.”

In 2021 reports estimated that Lesotho imported more than M730 million in poultry meat, making it the 93rd largest importer of poultry meat in the world. In the same year, poultry eat was the third most imported product in Lesotho. Namibia, estimated to consume about 2,500 tons of chicken every month, comprising mainly of imports from South Africa banned poultry products from that country even before Lesotho followed suit and so did Botswana.

A disappointed customer who wanted to purchase chicken from one local supermarket Mamonyane Leanya, said she fears most families are going to face acute food shortages because chicken is one of the few cheap sources of  protein. “Chicken and eggs are the cheapest part of the meals we eat on a daily basis, so with its scarcity we are going to suffer so bad,” she said.

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