Are importers afraid they might lose the chicken war?
The chicken imports lobby is trashing the local poultry industry's anti-dumping application and SA's trade regulator, ahead of any possible outcomes.
The chicken imports lobby is trashing the local poultry industry's anti-dumping application and SA's trade regulator, ahead of any possible outcomes.
Over the past five years, South Africa has spent R30 billion on chicken imports – creating jobs in Brazil and the EU.
Imported chicken replaces 1.3 million tonnes of animal feed, which could have been made in South Africa. This translates to 2 000 jobs in 12 feed factories.
With Covid-19 dominating our lives for the past two years, it’s easy to forget that food safety remains a significant public health issue – for farmers, distributors, retailers, policymakers and consumers. Join our webinar.
New labelling laws for chicken imports – hailed as a "breakthrough" for consumers – have come into affect, but will require careful policing to ensure compliance.
Chicken imports arrive in large frozen bulk packs, which are thawed, repacked and refrozen or sometimes just sold as fresh meat. This can compromise food safety.
Increased health inspections and certifications are needed for chicken imports, as well as for developing export markets. The problem? Not enough vets.
As bird flu continues to spread across Europe, chicken producing countries in the bloc are declaring themselves free of the disease.
Brazil remains the dominant supplier of poultry imports to South Africa, with 64.3% market share, as bird flu bans keep the EU out, for now.
It is time that importers issue their unequivocal backing for the poultry master plan and all its objectives.
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