Astral expands avian influenza vaccination programme in South Africa
South Africa’s largest broiler producer, Astral Foods, is expanding its avian influenza vaccination programme for breeder chickens to additional sites, following regulatory approval of more farms for vaccination. According to African Farming, the Department of Agriculture has authorised vaccination at two Astral breeder farms in Mpumalanga, in addition to the company’s initial vaccinated breeder site in Gauteng.
Astral began vaccinating breeders at one Gauteng farm in July 2025, covering approximately 5% of its breeder flock. With the inclusion of the two Mpumalanga farms, the company expects about 30% of its breeder flock to be immunised once parent stock at these sites has been fully vaccinated. Vaccination on the new farms is planned to start in 2026, with the aim of establishing immunity by the end of summer, ahead of the higher-risk winter period.
