13.01.2012

South Africa's ostrich farmers are struggling to cope after thousands of their birds were culled during one of the country's worst outbreaks of avian influenza.
Exports to Europe: the biggest market for South Africa's ostrich meat, have crashed since the EU banned the import of ostrich meat.
Oudtshoorn, a town about 450km (279 miles) from Cape Town, is the heartland of the country's ostrich industry. The ostrich industry in this area is responsible for the direct employment of 20,000 people. South Africa's ostriches are bred mainly in two provinces - the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape.
In Oudtshoorn alone 150,000 birds are reared in an area measuring over 20,000 sq km (7,722 sq miles). With each passing month the industry is losing 108m rand ($13m; £8.2m).

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says the disease seems be under control for now.

But it adds that more tests are being done on the thousands of ostriches in this region.

In the meantime, farmers have been offered some money as compensation for their loss but all involved agree that the money is not enough to cushion the blow to their business.

Experts say even if the ban on meat exports is lifted in the next few months and the region declared "clean" - it will take up to four years for the industry to recover from the effects of the outbreak.