FairPlay founder Francois Baird has hit out at government for its intransigence over financial support for poultry producers forced to cull chickens during the bird flu outbreak.
He has called for a revision of government policy on culling compensation saying there should be financial support for local poultry producers who abided by the law and culled their chickens according to state directives.
In successive outbreaks of bird flu in South Africa since 2017, state veterinarians have ordered the culling of millions of chickens to help curb the spread of the virus. However, unlike other countries, South Africa refuses to pay compensation to these farmers. Losses in 2023 – the worst year yet - are estimated at R9 billion.
He says government recently published details of how poultry farmers can apply for compensation – without saying that the compensation will be zero because they regard birds inflected or in contact with bird flu as having no value.
“You have to cull your chickens if there is bird flu around but since you culled your chickens, they now have no value, so we don't have to pay you. It's literally the chicken and egg argument.”
Baird said that, while large producers had suffered losses but survived, the refusal to pay compensation was pushing small-scale farmers to the brink of collapse.
