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Botswana and Mozambique have banned all poultry meat, eggs and feathers from SA, while Lesotho has banned the import of eggs from Gauteng.
This follows after the initial outbreak of avian influenza on a commercial farm in the East Rand of Johannesburg has now been identified as HPAI H5N1.
Namibia has also banned all imports from the affected areas.
The same farm had also been affected by a 2017 outbreak of avian flu, but a spokesperson for SA Poultry, Christopher Masson says this is not the same strain.
He says the company concerned made the responsible decision of culling 240 000 hens to protect surrounding farms and the poultry industry.
The replacement cost of these hens is R20 million.
Masson says, unfortunately, a second outbreak has been reported on a North West broiler breeder farm, which has culled 7 000 birds.
The mortalities have been sent to Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute for analysis and sequencing.
Masson says highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a notifiable disease that has to be reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), which dispatches daily updates to all countries in the world.
Countries have the right to cease trade imports from any country that has been identified by the OIE as having an outbreak of a notifiable disease.
This strain of avian influenza is carried by wild birds, especially at this time of year when their natural migration northwards occur.
All persons are requested to be on the lookout for dead birds, and report these to their nearest state veterinarian.
Consumers are ensured that eggs and broiler meat products are safe to eat provided normal cooking protocols are followed.
