LESOTHO is the latest southern African country to ban poultry products from South Africa, after a second outbreak of avian influenza was detected in the North West province.

This was a week after the flu was found at a commercial layer farm in the east of Johannesburg.

However, Lesotho has only banned eggs coming from Gauteng.

Other countries that have suspended the import of poultry and poultry products from South Africa are Mozambique, Botswana, and Namibia.

Namibia has only blocked products from one compartment, and for 21 days.

The South African Director of the Animal Health Department Dr Mpho Maja, continues to be engaged in discussions with all of South Africa’s neighbouring countries about minimising the impact on South African exports.

The South African Poultry Association reported that an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5 virus was detected on a broiler breeder farm in North West.

The farm has had to cull 7,000 broiler breeder birds, the poultry industry body said in a statement.

The association said that the birds' remains had been sent to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute for analysis and sequencing.

The strain of the avian flu detected last week on the Johannesburg farm has been identified as (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) HPAI H5N1 and is different from the 2017 outbreak.

The farm has culled 240,000 birds as part of its attempts to contain the virus' spread and protect surrounding farms. It will cost M20 million to replace the birds.