South African poultry giant Astral Foods suffered a significant cybersecurity breach last week, resulting in a $1.1 million loss in profits due to operational disruptions.
Astral Foods, known as the country’s largest broiler chick producer and the second-largest chicken processor, operates several major subsidiaries, including National Chicks, County Fair, Ross Poultry, Tiger Chicks, Tiger Animal Feeds, and Provimi. The company’s vertically integrated operations span animal feed production, broiler genetics, and hatching eggs.
Although Astral did not disclose specific details about the cyberattack, it confirmed that the Poultry Division faced significant downtime, disrupting processing and deliveries to customers. In a letter to shareholders, the company stated that disaster recovery protocols were quickly implemented to mitigate the impact.
However, the downtime and production backlog recovery costs took a toll on Astral’s financials. The company reported that the cyber incident reduced profits by 20 million rand (approximately $1.1 million) for the period.
Astral Foods reassured shareholders that the cyber intrusion did not compromise sensitive data belonging to customers, suppliers, or individual stakeholders. Following the recovery of its systems, the company confirmed that all business operations have resumed normal activity.
While Astral has now restored operations, the incident highlights the growing cybersecurity risks facing critical sectors like agriculture and food production, where operational disruptions can quickly result in significant financial losses.
