Research Article (Coombs 2007 SSCT) - Avian Influenza

 BY NATHAN MASHIANE

The Avian influenza outbreak which has caused a distress in the poultry industry continues to dribble the economy and poultry farmers, the effect extends to pinch the daily poultry consumer’s pockets. South African issues like load shedding, fuel price hikes and crime have always affected poultry farming and production, but this virus has made matters worse. There is now a number of stores that are running out of poultry stock on the shelfs ever since the recent outbreak of the bird – flu, this confirms a massive shortage of supply because millions of birds and poultry products are being culled and destroyed to minimize the spread of the virus. This results in high prices of poultry products in stores.

 

  Situation analysis

The recently discovered bird-flu outbreak is a virus that has been there since 1800s, it was first discovered in 1878 in northern Italy. It was named the Avian flu, meaning bird flu from the Kurdish language. The avian flu is a severe disease which is mainly found in wild birds and can be carried to domestic poultry livestock during the process of bird migration. The virus consists of 15 strains  which were discovered in most parts of the world over the years, these strains are mutations originating from the original virus. The strains have proven to be deadly to infected birds as millions and millions of birds have died from it. The first case of avian flu in south Africa was reported in 2017, it was found that it was the H5N1, H5N8 and H7N6 strains. The H5N1 strain of the avian flu originates from a discovery in 1997 in Hong Kong, it later spread from Asia to Europe and Africa in 2003.  

The first case that was discovered in 2017 of H5N1 spread rapidly across the country resulting in deaths of over 6 million of birds and poultry livestock. The virus was controlled then, and authorities were able to minimise infections and mortality rates but the recent strain which is the H7N6 that was discovered in June 2023 in Delmas north of Johannesburg is keeping everyone on their toes. A total estimation of 10 million birds have been infected by H7N6 ever since the discovery and 6 million birds have died from it. The main spread of the Avian flu is wild bird migration therefore it happens that especially during mating seasons and mixing of birds, the flu is transmitted to other birds which then brings the virus to domestic birds and later spreading to poultry farms. The most vulnerable types of birds to the virus are chickens, hence the high death toll of chicken birds in poultry farms keeps on rising. The virus is also proven to be transmittable to humans, but it is likely that humans are affected by the low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) which has low mortality rates. There is a theory that the H7N6 avian flu strain is a mutation from the low pathogenicity avian influenza which mutated itself locally to become stronger and deadlier.

    Stakeholder map

The avian flu crisis can be described or defined as a natural cause therefore stakeholders do not have an impact in the occurrence of the crises but are all affected by it. The stakeholder map for this crisis consists of the following stakeholders which are the poultry farmers, employees, suppliers, retailers, fast food establishments, tourists, investors, families, and the public. No one is benefiting from the crises. Everyone who has close contact with poultry livestock and poultry products is at risk of infection because the virus is also transmittable to humans.

 Poultry farmers like Rainbow chicken are deeply affected by this crisis, the high risk of contamination and the ongoing losses of millions of rands due to death and culling of their chickens hit them so hard. In 2017 when the first case of Avian flu was found in South Africa, the government’s response was very effective.  The response resulted in the virus being controlled and the risk of spreading minimized, there was a strict protocol followed by then. Like other countries at that time, the South African government played a huge role in prioritizing the safety and health of its people by calling on all poultry farmers to cull all the chickens  in contaminated poultry and they would be compensated for the losses. The government was working together with poultry farmers to ensure that the spread of the virus was controlled and minimized in the best way possible by offering them compensation for the stock lost due to the virus, unfortunately that’s no longer the case as of now. The government no longer compensates poultry farmers for their losses due to the virus, this situation contributes immensely to the rapid spread of the avian flu because some farmers do not always do the right thing. There has been reports that some poultry farmers in the country continue to sell infected chickens and poultry products to avoid the financial burdens that comes with culling the chickens therefore in a way the poultry farmers contribute to the spread of the crises. Indeed, Poultry farmers suffer financial loss which then affects the sustainability of their businesses but that does not justify the many in which some have decided to operate which is continuing to conduct business with contaminated stock. This manner has resulted in the weakening of trust from customers.  As of now, poultry farmers in South Africa have suffered a loss of 8.3 million poultry livestock.

As it has been proven than the avian flu can be dangerous to humans therefore close contact is to be controlled and cautious, this affects the employees that work in poultry farms as they have a close contact with poultry livestock on a daily. The employees suffer the high risk of infection in their work environments if they are not being taught preventive security measures against the virus and if they are not cautious enough. Poultry farms that are contaminated and not controlled have a high risk of being shut down, meaning employees would then lose their jobs.  Employees are affected by the avian flu in such a way that if they are not careful enough, they would risk the contamination of their personal homes, infection of friends and families and pets.

Suppliers in the poultry industry also share the negative impact of the crisis, both economically and health-wise. The virus travels from farm to farm in the easiest ways because it doesn’t take a live bird to spread, the virus can be spread through equipment used on infected birds or the farm and places where contaminated birds have been. For example, a supplier may use the same delivery vehicle and crates to transport birds, bird feed, or material from farm to farm therefore taking the virus with them along the way from one farm to another unaware.  The farms with confirmed cases would then not require the services of the suppliers therefore resulting in economical loss. With the Avian flu on the rise, business has been slow for suppliers in the poultry industry, costs are on the rise and income is becoming lower because of the virus.

Supermarket retailers have had a bad experience in their poultry sections since the outbreak of the virus, the shortage of supply of eggs and chicken has impacted their daily trading income. As many South African have seen popular daily grocery stores now have empty shelves where there are normally stacks of eggs, this is a sad reality for all that the Avian influenza has caused such a constraint. The bird flu crisis has impacted the economy of the country deeply because whenever there is availability of poultry you must buy them at highest prices ever and these costs surely does not affect consumers only. The cost of bird has hiked, the loadshedding and fuel prices which were already putting pressure on poultry farmers before the outbreak, suppliers have also increased charges, everyone is trying to survive their business but if they do not communicate effectively with their customers then there would be misunderstanding and conflicts between retailers and consumers. For example, most retail stores have put up signs that state the unavailability of eggs and chicken and the reasons for price hikes if there is availability.  The retailers have met with relevant authorities to decide on whether it is possible and safe to import fertilized eggs from unaffected regions and countries to replace the culled stock, also to import consumable eggs. All these efforts mean that the retailers, suppliers, and farmers will be responsible for the costs as the government will not be interfering in how businesses address their shortages of stock except from the strict measures of health and safety.

Most of the fast-food establishments in South Africa specialise in chicken, meaning they are also affected by the Avian influenza in negative way because of the shortage of chicken supply and the risk of getting their customers sick. That would paint a very dull picture for that brand if a customer got sick from their chicken during this outbreak and it would then question the management of all other fast-food establishments. The crises have put fast-food businesses in the poultry sector in a tough situation whereby some customers are afraid to consume chicken from any fast-food establishment during this outbreak. The fast-food establishment are suffering costs with little income.

A country with a deadly virus on the loose is a pathway to a very bad economy just like the covid 19 pandemic when the economy was in shambles. This withdraws some investors’ interest in investing their money in country or businesses in that country. The avian influenza has also made South Africa a victim of such, investors do not want to risk their money in a country that is losing control of a disease that is contaminated in animals, what would to their money if the virus starts taking a toll on humans.

The public, families and tourists are at high risk of infection as they are mostly likely to be the ones in close contact with birds and domestic poultry livestock. It is dangerous for a human to be infected with the avian influenza because reports have shown that between 2002 and 2009, 468 people were infected by the H5N1 strain and 282 suffered death from the strain. Furthermore,145 human infections were confirmed with 42 deaths in 2015 and 2016 due to the Avian flu. Communication from stores and chicken businesses is vital to at least make consumers aware of what to look out for when buying and consuming chicken and how to be safe ion these times. These cases were confirmed to have been by being in close contact with infected birds and contaminated areas or environment. Other than the health risk and impact of the outbreak, these three-stakeholder group may also act as customers therefore being affected in high prices of chicken and eggs in the stores. In some stores there is total unavailability of eggs, and it has been weeks now, families and the public are suffering as they miss their favorite meals and have to travel to other locations just to buy eggs at high prices even.

 

  Coombs (2007) SCCT

Crisis Severity

The crisis severity of the avian flu is not to be underestimated, the crisis is so severe that as of recent it has infected over 10 million of chickens and killed over 6 million. The outbreak that has occurred earlier this year has been recorded has historic, it has forced big supermarket retailers like Woolworths to implement a  temporary purchase limit on eggs meaning that one customer is allowed to purchase only 6 eggs at time so that there’s availability of eggs for everyone. The measures that were put in place to minimize the spread of the avian have not proven to be effective because the virus which is the H5N1 and H7N6 strain has been confirmed to be highly pathogenic. The crisis has affected the South African food market and threatens the pockets of the consumers. The avian flu was known to have been a seasonal virus but since 2021 it has been a going on all year and now it has become much stronger since it has a newly discovered strain. This proves how severe the avian flu virus is and continues to force retailers and farmers to skyrocket prices, affecting families, restaurants, and coffee shops. Small medium enterprises are also suffering during this crisis thus threatening the local economy.

Blame attribution.

So far there is no organization or entity that can be held accountable for the crisis that South Africa is facing. Unlike the listerioses crisis, the avian flu is a disease that comes from the external wild environment and found its way to domestic chickens and poultry livestock. The stakeholders may hold some chicken and poultry products brands and farmers accountable for their negligence to the point where the virus has gotten this critical. It is beyond poultry farmers, brands, and retailers to control the virus besides implementing effective preventive measures and minimizing the spread, for example biosecurity. The crisis forces poultry farmers to be in the victim cluster of the SCCT theory crisis clusters.

 

 

Competence

The competence of organizations may be judged from the response they initiated once it was announced that there is indeed a crisis. The competence is judged by the stakeholders depending on how the organizations attempt to address the crisis. In this case the stakeholders understood and accepted the fact that poultry farmers and businesses took it upon themselves to communicate and share awareness about what they are facing and its repercussions. The organizations were competent enough that there is no reputational damage for any poultry brand or supermarket retailer because of the honesty they shared and the efforts they made to protect stakeholders and their interests. The stakeholders do not blame any poultry farmers for the crisis that has occurred, they understand that the crisis is beyond the farmers’ control besides being cautious to prevent spreading.

 

Commitment

Stakeholders appreciate the poultry farmers’ and businesses’ efforts in trying to put them first despite the losses they are going through. The compliance of culling chickens and destroying eggs that are infected or were exposed to a contaminated environment is a big deal because of the great amount of loss the process results in. This shows that the entity is committed to protecting its stakeholders and reputation. Entities that do not comply with the government’s policy of culling does not care about the stakeholders but only cares about making profit through this crisis. The stakeholders have shown behaviors of appreciation towards the poultry entities’ authenticity, positive intention, and concern. The poultry farmers have shown to be committed to resolving the crisis by the information and updates they always share and the efforts they make to ensure that there is no total scarcity of healthy chicken and eggs throughout this crisis. Therefore, the stakeholders’ judgements have been positive in hopes that this virus will be minimized and eliminated, and things will go back to normal.

 

Clear Association

Poultry farmers have made promises at the start of their businesses that they will keep on providing healthy food and services to their stakeholders no matter what, this is the time to prove the farmers ethics and promises. The stakeholders have to judge their perceptions based on whether there is a connection between the crisis and the entities, in this case there is slight connection between the virus and the farmers since it affects the operations of the poultry farmers, but the positivity will be based on how the poultry farmers respond to the issue by being responsible and trying to eliminate further infections or they ignore it. If the poultry farmers ignored that there is a crisis, then that questions their work ethics and commitment. The reputation of the poultry entities relies on how they associate themselves with the issue and that will affect the stakeholders’ judgements.

 

    Crisis Communication plan

A crisis communication plan does not necessarily mean press conferences and public speaking or media releases. A crises communication plan needs a strategic approach whereby not only the leader makes all the decisions, but it also needs a strong teamwork synergy. The suppliers and retailers must first acknowledge that they are facing a crisis and what type of crisis it is, in this case the Avian influenza crisis can be described as a disaster type of crisis. The severity of the issue is important to identify, the suppliers and retailers should consult relevant groups to find out how critical is the crisis then after they must prioritize relevant stakeholders which they will be communicating the awareness of the crisis and what is behind. A crisis communication plan must have an objective or goal, the avian influenza crisis has made a huge amount of damage already therefore having an objective in the crisis communication plan for the suppliers and retailers will steer them in the right direction.

The suppliers and retailers in the poultry sector should decide on what their objective is and what is what are the key messages that would want to communicate. For example, in this case the suppliers and retailers’ objectives are to show concern, share awareness and protect consumers from the deadly virus outbreak. The crisis communication plan needs to be a planful approach that seeks to address the issue, meaning that government authorities and public health authorities should be paid attention to because of the information that is important to be forwarded to the consumers just like it happened during the covid 19 pandemic. The key messages of the suppliers and retailers must be communicated effectively therefore there must be a good media relations plan put in place and communication platforms chosen to where massages and updates will be shared 23\7. Communication platforms such as radio, newspapers, social media, and television stand to be the most effective when addressing a crisis like this. The skills of crisis management need to be utilized in this situation therefore following the Smiths’ principles of crisis management will be effective for suppliers and retailers to address the crisis. The principles include considering the existing relationships, meaning prioritizing the stakeholders and appreciating them for the support. Another principle to be followed is the reputational priorities, this means that the suppliers and retailers should first be considerate of the community, employees’, and consumers’ interests first than theirs by focusing on what is best for the community, employees, and consumers rather than their own reputation first. This will prove that the suppliers care about the health and safety of its people.

The suppliers and retailers must be quick in response to the crisis to limit further damage because stakeholders will assume that they are responsible for the further spreading of the avian flu. This is where the strategy to reduce the impact of the crisis on the organization’s reputation is chosen, the supplies and retailers must choose to be vocally expressed about the situation by showing concern. Being silent in a severe crisis like this is never a solution, as a supplier or retailer you must disclose enough information to avoid speculations by stakeholders that may damage your reputation hence it is important to follow and share the government and public health authorities’ updates about the Avian flu to your stakeholders as part of your communication messages. All the communication messages should be of one voice meaning that the suppliers and retailers in the poultry sector should not be communicating messages that oppose each other. Stakeholders will be confused on what is true and what is not thus putting your organizational reputation to risk. Although the Avian flu may seem uncontrollable, it is best to be unified as an industry and speak with one voice so that messages are shared with confidence and are consistent and reassuring to stakeholders.

It is important to not shift the blame to farmers or other groups in the poultry sector when stakeholders ask you as a supplier or retailer for information or feedback, rather express your concern and be helpful. Also keep in mind that in your crisis communication plan, information that has not yet been authorised should not be shared or communicated because everything you report publicly during this crisis will be stored and may be used against you in the future. The main aim in the crisis communication plan as a supplier or retailer is to reassure stakeholders and the public regarding the health and preventive measures being implemented to ensure their safety and the safety of the poultry products they consume. It is also important to ensure that suppliers and retailers keep to the promises that they make during this crisis.

 

Conclusion

The role of strategic communication is for organizations to be inclusive by providing important information to the media so it can be shared to the public and gain the public’s attention or keep the public updated. Strategic communication aids the responsibility of communication professionals to act against the dissemination of fake news. The role of issues and crisis communication management around the bird-flu outbreak in the poultry sector is vital because it creates a clear understanding and update of information that results in a stronger connection and trust that builds up to a reputational sector.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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