State vets call for a coordinated approach between farmers and the government to effectively manage future animal disease outbreaks.

The South African poultry sector suffered significant losses last year from the bird flu outbreak and while chicken and egg supplies seem to have stabilised, the novel H7N6 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is still lurking in some parts of the country.

SA's poultry industry has warned of an imminent outbreak of bird flu, which it is powerless to prevent. The South African Poultry Association (Sapa) said such an outbreak would be "catastrophic" because a vaccination programme has yet to be introduced for the poultry sector.

There are several farms of concern in Gauteng, which bore the brunt of the outbreak. Some producers are refusing to cull their chickens because they have applied for exemptions from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and are awaiting an outcome.

Dr Alan Kalake, the director of veterinary transversal services in Gauteng, told a panel discussion on lessons learned from South Africa's deadliest avian flu outbreak that "some elements" of the poultry industry were uncooperative with the state in taking measures to stamp out the virus.

As a result, there are currently 20 open outbreaks in Gauteng. Ten of those producers have applied for exemptions from the prescribed,...