More than half of the ostrich farmers affected by an outbreak of avian flu have been compensated by national government, agriculture officials said on Thursday.
So far about R40 million has been allocated toWestern Cape farmers.
At least 30,000 birds have been culled since the start of the outbreak in April
Western Cape Agriculture MEC Gerrit van Rensburg said he would be meeting with counterparts from other provinces soon to discuss their response.
He admitted that culling the birds is a drastic measure, but said this is done in order to comply with international regulations.
“We have to kill (the infected birds), otherwise we cannot export ostriches in the future,ö he explained.
