By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Department of Agriculture has partially lifted its ban on poultry imports from Brazil, easing mounting fears over food insecurity and price hikes triggered by the suspension.
South Africa imposed a ban on poultry imports from the South American country in May, following an avian flu outbreak in the Rio Grande do Sul region.
The move sent local producers into a mild panic, with major groups like Eskort and other meat associations warning of dire consequences should the ban remain in place.
“We are glad that, a month after the outbreak was reported in Brazil, we have been able to assess and confirm that risks associated with the importation of poultry and poultry products from Brazil are insignificant. We are closely monitoring the situation,” said minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen in a statement.
The decision comes after South African veterinary services engaged with Brazilian authorities to assess the extent of the outbreak, the containment measures in place, and the health status of other production zones across Brazil.
According to the department, poultry products produced outside the outbreak zone pose no health risk and are considered safe for import.
However, the minister cautioned that the decision to partially resume imports could be reversed if new cases of avian flu emerge in other states.
“We are glad that, a month after the outbreak was reported in Brazil, we have been able to assess and confirm that risks associated with the importation of poultry and poultry products from Brazil are insignificant. We are closely monitoring the situation,” added Steenhuisen.
South Africa now joins several other countries that have partially lifted their own bans on Brazilian poultry, helping ease pressure on local markets dependent on imported chicken and related products.
Brazil is one of the world’s largest poultry exporters and a key trade partner for South Africa in the agricultural sector. The ban had raised concerns about potential shortages and price hikes in the domestic market.
Meanwhile the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) and the South African Meat Processors Association (Sampa) have both welcomed government’s partial lifting of the ban on poultry and poultry product imports from Brazil, effective June 19.
According to Sampa, the import ban lift will avert significant shortages of affordable protein such as polony, viennas and bangers on South African shelves, given that Brazil is a major supplier of mechanically deboned chicken meat to South Africa.
“We are grateful for the urgency displayed by the DoA and especially minister Steenhuisen and deputy director-general Dipeneneng Serage in averting the full-scale social and humanitarian crisis which the ban imposed on May 16 threatened to unleash,” Sampa states.
In turn, the AMIE lauds government for having chosen a practical, regionalised approach to imports from Brazil to help stabilise the poultry market and safeguard food security for South African consumers.
The AMIE is urging government to finalise the health certificate agreement with Brazil that provides for a regional approach to future disease outbreaks.
The association also wishes for government to accelerate the reopening of other key poultry import markets, including France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, which remain closed to South Africa despite their successful containment of earlier avian influenza outbreaks, as declared to the World Organisation for Animal Health.