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After months of wrangling between the South African government and poultry producers, there has at last been a breakthrough and a bird flu vaccination programme should soon get underway.

South African food producers, including the poultry industry, have argued for additional essential food items to be exempt from 15% value added tax (VAT).

Making essential foods cheaper for poor consumers was more than worth the loss of revenue from value added tax, poultry […]

Pressure is mounting on the South African government to allow poultry imports from parts of Brazil that are not affected […]

Chicken importers appear to be making fat profits from sales of mechanically deboned meat (MDM) ahead of an expected shortage because of the bird flu ban on poultry imports from Brazil.

Funding cuts by the Trump administration in the United States have resulted in the closure of a US-funded chicken project in Lesotho.

All three of South Africa’s listed poultry companies have warned of the high risks of renewed bird flu outbreaks and complained of the lack of progress in government approvals for a vaccination programme.

As expected, the South African government has banned all poultry imports from Brazil because of the outbreak of bird flu in that country.

The Public Investment Corporation (PIC), owner of Daybreak Foods, has supported the decision by Daybreak’s board to place the poultry producer into business rescue.

South Africa’s May budget delivered a double blow to the poor on food prices, FairPlay said in a statement.

Since January this year, 155 children under the age of five have died in South African public health facilities, with moderate to severe malnutrition as an underlying condition.

An innovative project in the Western Cape will test a programme to prevent stunting, which affects more than a quarter of South Africa’s children under the age of five.

When Clive Tegere started a two-person chicken hatchery, working with his mother in the family garage, he didn’t expect it to grow so rapidly into a multi-million business producing up to 250 000 day-old chicks every week.

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.

Brazil’s bird flu outbreak brings to an end a remarkably long period in which Brazil stood out as the only major poultry producing country to be free of the disease.

By the time South Africa and the United States get round to discussing a contentious US duty-free quota for chicken imports into South Africa, there may not be much to fight about.

South Africa’s poultry industry would like a seat at the table if there are to be any changes on import tariffs or quotas of United States chicken imports, according to Astral CEO Gary Arnold.

South Africa’s largest poultry producer, Astral Foods, sold more chickens and earned more revenue in the first six months of this financial year, but saw its profits reduced because of higher costs and lower selling prices.

Three of South Africa’s nine provinces may soon have more people unemployed than working.

South Africa’s widespread food insecurity could only be addressed through economic growth that reduced poverty levels, according to agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo.

South African pork producers worry that, as part of a new trade deal, the United States might pressure South Africa into relaxing its stringent pork import restrictions.

South Africa’s fifth largest poultry producer, Daybreak Foods, has been making local and international headlines recently for all the wrong reasons.

The high tariffs the United States is imposing on goods from other countries, and particularly China, is leading to shifts in world trade as exporters explore other markets.

South Africa’s food inflation rate dropped again in March 2025, the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) reports in its monthly food inflation brief.

The continuing spread of bird flu has prompted the Global Virus Network, representing scientists from 40 countries, to call on governments to increase virus control measures and to prepare for potential human-to-human transmission.

The French government is cutting its financial support for bird flu vaccinations, angering the country’s poultry farmers.

South Africa’s largest poultry producer, Astral Foods, expects earnings to drop by up to 60% when it reports results for the six months to end March this year.

Tanzania imposed a ban on all South African agricultural imports last month, in retaliation for what it said was a South African ban on the import of Tanzanian bananas.

Poor people are going to be the hardest hit by the South African government’s decision to scrap the proposed additional food exemptions from value added tax (VAT), FairPlay said in a statement.

Because of disputes over whether or not to increase value added tax (VAT), South Africa is headed for its third budget this year.

The SA Poultry Association (SAPA) has formally applied to South African authorities for the removal of an annual quota of chicken imported from the United States free of anti-dumping duties that would otherwise apply.

An organisation representing South African business leaders has cited the South African motor industry as a prime example of why the country needs a bilateral trade deal with the United States instead of crippling new tariffs.

South Africa’s agricultural sector has made enormous progress since the end of apartheid 31 years ago, and has contributed significantly to the country’s economic growth. However, millions still go hungry because they cannot afford the food that is available.