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The Chairperson on behalf of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has been closely monitoring the outbreak of avian bird flu, which is currently affecting four farms in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

Control measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of the disease, including placing the infected farms under quarantine and the culling of infected birds.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Ms Rosina Semenya, said: “We sympathise with poultry farmers and understand that, in this current economic climate, any loss is huge for farmers.

We have been told by the Department that there are mechanisms in place to assist affected farmers and therefore appeal to them to immediately contact the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, for assistance when their livestock is culled due to the infection.

Communities are urged to be vigilant and to report the deaths of large numbers of birds to the State Veterinarian or the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Issued by Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Rosina Semenya