South Africa’s beleaguered ostrich industry can sidestep the crippling export ban on its products — imposed 12 months ago by the European Union (EU) after an outbreak of bird flu — by selling heat-processed meat abroad.
The EU ban excludes meat that has been “precooked” for just three seconds at 70°C.
As a result, Oudtshoorn-based company Klein Karoo International has received an order from Germany for 40 tons of heat-treated ostrich meat, says MD Johan Stumpf.
“We are still in a development phase with the product, but we received an order of 40 tons from a German retailer. Although not large compared with annual production, it is significant in terms of a totally new concept to the market. It will go into the shops in May,” Mr Stumpf said.
“Should this be successful, I do think it could be an alternative for the ostrich industry. ” He said there had also been positive interest from other countries in Europe.
Klein Karoo International bought the processing equipment from the Klein Karoo Cuisine company in Johannesburg after the ban on ostrich exports to the EU was imposed in April last year when the H5N2 bird flu virus was first detected on farms in the Klein Karoo Valley. The firm now produces heat-processed ostrich steaks, goulash and strips.
Although farmers do not get as high a price for heat-processed meat as for raw ostrich meat, the processed product guarantees an all-year export market, unaffected by the avian flu ban.
GARDEN ROUTE MEDIA
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Article source: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=169189