EU lifts ban on SA ostrich exports

THE EUROPEAN Union has lifted its ban on ostrich product exports imposed on South Africa in July this year following an outbreak of the H5N2 virus on farms in Mossel Bay and Riversdale in the Western Cape. The ban effectively stopped the import of ostrich, emus and their meat and eggs from South Africa, but according to CEO of the SA Ostrich Business Chamber, Anton Kruger, it was not too costly because of its short duration during the low season. The lifting of the ban coincides with the peak season for ostrich product consumption in Europe to which 90% of SA’s ostrich products are exported. Quoted in BuaNews, Kruger said the industry generated about R1.2 billion per annum in foreign income.