South African egg output tumbles, jobs cut after avian flu

Commercial egg production in South Africa has tumbled 17% and over 1 000 workers have lost their jobs in the wake of an outbreak of avian flu in June, industry experts said on Wednesday. Commercial egg production per day has dropped to 17-million from 20.4-million after an outbreak of the H5N8 virus, the South African Poultry Association (SAPA) acting CEO Charlotte Nkuna said.