Now is the time to be really concerned that soon there might be no eggs on supermarket shelves in the Western Cape.
On the eve of #WorldEggDay, the Western Cape Government and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries confirmed that the number of cases of avian influenza in the province has risen to 50.
“Since the regional outbreak was first confirmed in the province in August, 2.5 million chickens and ducks have been culled,” spokesperson Bronwynne Jooste confirmed.
And if you dig deeper this is 2.4million layer birds, 73 000 breeder birds and 32 600 ducks that have been culled.
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Government, farmers and all stakeholders are doing their best but currently the situation looks bleak.
This also means that the price you pay for eggs now is going to sharply increase as eggs become more scarce.
Panic buying is also a reality as people flock to stores to buy eggs in bulk. So it’s a lose-lose situation.
Minister of Economic Opportunities, says Alan Winde: “Many farmers have been proactive with testing their flocks for early detection of AI and culling them quickly in response to positive tests. Some of the farmers have also bought and put down lime around their properties to try and prevent the virus from spreading.”
In response to this outbreak, which is the first of its kind in South Africa, the Western Cape Government has convened a Joint Operations Centre (JOC).