The slow, steady increase in South Africa’s poultry imports continued into its seventh month in March this year.
Volumes are still relatively low, and the increases come off a low base because imports have been declining. Nevertheless, the local poultry industry will be watching the numbers with some concern.
The big picture is that chicken imports dropped rapidly after peaking in 2018. The decline has been ascribed to a combination of anti-dumping and other duties, and widespread bird flu in major poultry producing countries.
There was a slight recovery in 2023 and 2024, and it looks like another one may have started.
Every month since September last year, chicken imports have been higher than the same month a year previously. Even where there’s a month-on-month decline, it’s been growth on an annual basis.
In March this year – the latest official statistics available – chicken imports were 12% above March 2025. This is despite a 20% drop from the previous month. Imports for the first three months were 27% higher than the first quarter of 2025.
While volumes are low compared to previous surges, they are high enough to have a painful impact on local producers. Chicken imports for the first three months totalled 112 000 tonnes, with a landed value of R1.2 billion. That, as they say, is not chicken feed.
Bone-in chicken imports are a sensitive category. They comprise leg quarters, drumsticks, thighs and wings that compete with locally produced packs of individually quick frozen (IQF) chicken portions.
Imports of bone-in portions rose by 26% in 2025, to a total of 50 000 tonnes. The increase has continued into 2026, with imports in the first three months reaching 14 500 tonnes, 104% higher than the same period in 2025.
These totals came while two big exporters to South Africa – the United States and Argentina – were battling bird flu outbreaks. For the same reason, a third big producer, the European Union, exported nothing at all to South Africa in the first quarter.
That is likely to change as bird flu outbreaks lessen when the northern hemisphere moves into warmer summer months.
For the South African poultry industry, that’s not good news.
