Brazil has reported its first bird flu outbreak in commercial poultry, which is expected to result in South Africa joining other countries which have banned all poultry imports from Brazil.
This should not result in shortages of chicken meat in South Africa, or price increases because of shortages, the SA Poultry Association (SAPA) said in a statement.
The local industry currently had spare capacity and would be able to increase production to make up for any shortfall, according to SAPA’s Izaak Breitenbach.
“We are currently producing about 21.5 million chickens per week, and the industry has the capacity to increase this by about another million birds per week,” he said.
“As the winter months are a period of lower demand for chicken, the additional supply should be sufficient to ensure there are no shortages of chicken meat, or price increases because of shortages.”
Breitenbach pointed out that the local industry supplied more than 80% of the chicken consumed in South Africa. While Brazil was the major source of South Africa’s chicken imports, most of this was mechanically deboned meat (MDM) and offal. Bone-in portions such as leg quarters comprised less than 5% of chicken imports from Brazil.
“If there is a problem following a ban on Brazilian imports, it will concern mechanically deboned meat (MDM), not fresh or frozen chicken meat. MDM is a paste used in the production of processed meats such as polony and sausages; it is not made in any large quantities in South Africa.”
Breitenbach said a South African ban on Brazilian poultry imports would apply to all of Brazil, because Brazil had not concluded a compartmentalisation agreement with South Africa. Compartmentalisation would ban imports only from the affected region or province, but allow imports from the rest of the country.
“It is worth noting that Brazil has no compartmentalisation agreement with South Africa because it is up to Brazil to apply for this, and it has not done so. This is despite increasing numbers of infections in Brazil since 2023 in wild birds, which carry the disease.”
The Department of Agriculture had rejected suggestions that, should bird flu break out in Brazil, South Africa should allow MDM imports on condition that the MDM is used only in products that will be cooked or heat treated, which will kill the virus.
“The department has said it will not allow the importation of potentially infected chicken products. SAPA agrees with the position not to allow the importation of poultry products that will place our local industry at risk from any infectious disease such as bird flu,” Breitenbach said.
The impact of a ban on Brazilian chicken imports will not be felt immediately.
“Chicken imports from Brazil can take about six weeks to reach South Africa and product dispatched before the ban is implemented will not be affected,” Breitenbach said.
