The year-long suspension of anti-dumping duties would put 1 000 jobs at risk in the Western Cape, according to the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU), which represents poultry sector workers.
The union’s deputy secretary-general, Vuka Chonco, told the Weekend Argus that the suspension would reverse the recent gains made by the poultry industry.
Chonco said that many jobs were lost in the industry as a result of dumping between 2012 and 2015, when imported chicken took between 30% and 35% of the market. This had resulted in street protests to fight for locally produced chicken.
“We won that fight because foreign chicken is 25% and local chicken is 75%,” he said.
FAWU has called for an urgent meeting with Minister Patel.
