At a time when the government is considering encouraging chicken imports, a former import executive has called for import quotas to limit the volume of chicken coming into South Africa.
David Wolpert said in a letter to Business Day that South African poultry companies were “taking a huge hammering through no fault of their own” and many were deep in the red.
When he was CEO of the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE), he had fought against higher import tariffs, believing they were unfair, unnecessary and would increase chicken prices.
“The situation on the ground has changed materially since then, with the locals now fighting battles on all fronts — high feed costs, load-shedding, water shortages and then a killer outbreak of avian influenza.
“They now desperately need government support. After all, with importers, they signed a Poultry Master Plan with government, with one of its main pillars being the growth of domestic market share. To this end they invested millions in ramping up their production facilities.
“So, one way or another, the industry must be returned to profitability, on the back of increased market share.
“If that means placing limits on imports in the form of quotas, then so be it. Local poultry is an essential part of the food chain and as such must retain its dominant role in feeding affordable protein to South Africans,” Wolpert wrote
