The South African poultry industry has called on the government to deliver on its promises in order to revive the “stalled” implementation of the poultry master plan.
The master plan, signed in 2019, included commitments by government and the poultry industry to revitalise and expand an industry that was in crisis because of a flood of dumped chicken imports. A revised version is still in draft form and has not yet been agreed.
Izaak Breitenbach of the SA Poultry Association (SAPA) said in a statement that the master plan was a “blueprint for growth” – a well-crafted public-private compact that promised to stabilise an industry hammered by dumped imports.
While there had been early gains, progress had become slow and disappointing, particularly in relation to bird flu vaccination and support for chicken exports.
“The (poultry) industry has played its part, but policy inconsistency and administrative inertia are turning a national success story into a stalled project.”
Breitenbach said the poultry industry had moved swiftly to implement its 2019 undertakings.
“More than R2.2-billion was committed to new investment over the next five years, exceeding the master plan’s target of R1.5-billion. Duties and trade remedies, assisted by bird flu outbreaks in the northern hemisphere, began to turn the tide on dumped imports, giving domestic producers room to breathe.
“Large producers expanded facilities, signed up contract growers, and created jobs in line with master plan commitments. Transformation projects took shape, with emerging farmers brought into value chains under formal off-take agreements.”
However, progress had slowed since the last election and the master plan process “has lost impetus”, Breitenbach said.
There was little measurable delivery, despite government promises of new financial packages, stronger veterinary surveillance, cold-chain upgrades, greater support for small farmers and a mass vaccination campaign against bird flu.
“Exports remain locked behind bureaucratic barriers, and veterinary laboratories remain understaffed and outdated. Critical vaccination programmes have yet to gain any traction because the government refuses to relent on conditions that poultry producers say are unaffordable and not implementable.
“The master plan made government directly responsible for securing veterinary protocols and trade agreements with key markets such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the European Union (EU). The government’s job included upgrading animal health systems and certification capacity to safeguard exports and manage diseases, while rolling out blended finance to enable small and black-owned producers to scale.
“On these fronts, results have been disappointing,” Breitenbach said.
“Export negotiations have stalled, leaving producers who invested in world-class cold chain and processing facilities with no new markets to sell to.
“Veterinary laboratories, essential for issuing internationally-recognised health certificates, remain underfunded and understaffed.”
Poultry industry insiders complained that “exports die in the lab,” Breitenbach said – poultry producers were ready to export, but the government could not supply the supporting veterinary paperwork.
“Every delay in opening export markets is a lost opportunity for black contract growers, for workers in processing plants, and for all too many rural communities relying on the poultry value chain.”
Breitenbach urged the government to “move beyond pronouncements”.
“That means publishing time-bound actions, accelerating veterinary and trade negotiations, and enabling the finance needed for small producers to stand a chance.
“The compact was never about one side carrying the burden; for South Africa to reap the rewards in jobs, empowerment, and exports, both government and industry must deliver,” he said.
