It’s a busy week for poultry news, with a number of stories on a wide range of topics.
Consumer News
Food is pricier than it has ever been, according to the National Agricultural Marketing Council, along with expensive fuel. All of these factors are squeezing both the lower-income and middle-income consumer.
Woolworths is regarded as an expensive place to shop, but this story says different: the prices at Woolworths have risen slower than anywhere else, claims BusinessTech.
In response to news that tinned fish sales are overtaking chicken, Astral has responded with a plan to make a tinned chicken product.
But it is still extremely early days, with the plan still in the conception stages. If this happens, it will be the first new chicken product in decades.
It might also signal a market niche for some small canning operation….
And, while on the subject of new products: if you worried about additives in polony, well – make your own! According to this story, South Africans were shocked to learn how easy it is to make your own polony.
Avian Flu News
The first case of Avian Flu affecting domestic birds has been reported in Australia, with the virus affecting a single human case.
This means that Avian Flu is now a world-wide phenomenon and has severe implications for food security.
A quick recap: bird flu has always been endemic to wild bird populations. In 1996 it was identified in China as affecting domestic flocks and, in some cases, humans. Over the last 18 years the virus has mutated and spread over the whole world, posing a huge threat to the global poultry industry.
Vaccination seems to be an option, but vaccinated birds may not be imported or exported, so vaccination is only a solution for domestic production.
Industry News
Two major poultry producers are back into profitability, only months after posting huge losses due to load shedding and avian flu.
The two companies have credited ‘high chicken prices’ as one of the reasons for this astonishing about-turn, which suggests perhaps that the consumer has subsidised the poultry industry!
This is an interesting admission, as the large poultry producers are constantly declaring imminent collapse and that they need to be protected from competition. However, to be able to go from a major loss to substantial profit in a few months means that they are a lot more robust and protected than they would perhaps like to admit.
Import/Export News
Namibia banned poultry imports from South Africa due to Avian Flu, but that ban has now been lifted.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition has announced that he will be leaving his portfolio after the elections. He leaves behind a complex legacy.
