No need to panic buy eggs – department
The price of eggs has skyrocketed since the outbreak of the flu and this saw a tray of 60 eggs hitting the R200 mark at some retailers.
Citizens from Krugersdorp and Randfontein are urged not to panic buy eggs as stock levels are replenishing steadily.
This is according to the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development after millions of chickens throughout the country had to be culled, due to the outbreak of avian flue. This saw the price of eggs skyrocketing, with a tray of 60 eggs now hitting the R200 mark at some retailers.
The department released a statement which reads as follows:
“The department has a few open import permits for eggs and poultry products from a few countries. Import of table eggs, fertilised eggs, pasteurised eggs, egg powder and liquid eggs has been ongoing for many years in South Africa and has not only started with the current outbreak of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Other countries including Brazil, USA, and Argentina have been exporting eggs to South Africa for quite some time and the department is currently processing import permit applications from a few more countries.
“The department does not dictate which countries should make business sense for South African retailers to import eggs from, it only ensures that biosecurity risk assessments are conducted when importers apply for import permits,” read the statement.
The department added that the avian influenza outbreak is under control and that 70 percent of farms that were not infected continue to produce eggs and chickens. The egg production cycle is expected to normalise early next year.
