As countries around the world invest millions in vaccinations to curb the spread of bird flu, the South African government remains unyielding in its policy to refuse compensation to farmers – and it’s a policy that’s resulting in the spread of the disease.
That’s the view of FairPlay founder Francois Baird who has called on the government to re-evaluate its compensation policy and provide financial support to poultry farmers who abided by the law and culled their chickens according to state directives during bird flu outbreaks.
The government has refused compensation on the grounds that birds infected by or in contact with the virus had no value.
In France, the state has contributed 85% of the costs of a €100-million vaccination campaign, according to Poultry World, and it’s an investment that has paid off, says the French Department of Agriculture.
Thanks to the massive campaign to vaccinate ducks, which in previous epidemics showed to be highly susceptible to avian influenza, the epidemic has so far this year been far less severe than in some previous years.
It’s also had a knock-on effect on two of France’s neighbours, Belgium and Germany, which have recorded fewer cases, attributed largely to the French campaign.
In an article in Business Day, Baird said government compensation motivated speedy reporting of outbreaks, resulting in quick action to prevent the spread of the disease.
“When poultry farmers know they won’t be compensated for culled birds, they have no incentive to report a flu outbreak in their flocks,” he said. “The temptation instead is to keep quiet, to delay for as long as possible so as to earn an income in the meantime. Or perhaps they hope that enough birds will survive to enable them to stay in business.”
Poultry farming is a difficult and risky business at the best of times, he says. “In the worst of times, such as when farmers have to destroy all the chickens on their farm, they have no flock and no income.
“For many, this has proved too much. They give up rather than face an uncertain and very expensive battle to get going again.
“That is why compensation is so important. It would enable small-scale farmers to restart their businesses and keep their employees in jobs.”
