South Africa to face chicken shortage if imports banned

BRAZIL, South Africa’s top source of imported chicken, has declared a sixmonth animal health emergency. This was after several cases of avian influenza were detected in wild birds.

The SA Poultry Association (Sapa) said if the virus spread to chickens it would impact imports to South Africa.

Avian influenza, also known as bird flu or the H5N1, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), is a contagious viral disease that affects both poultry and wild birds. The virus also affects mammals and humans.

The WOAH said this has been the biggest outbreak of avian influenza in the world since October 2021, affecting 79 countries and 80 bird species.

It is reported that more than 1.6 million infected captive birds were killed due to the disease.

WOAH said there were currently no vaccines or treatments for highly pathogenic avian influenza and culling was believed to be the most effective method to stop the spread of infection.

The National Agricultural Marketing Council recorded that Brazil provided 75% of South Africa’s imported chicken last year.

Izaak Breitenbach, the CEO of the Sapa, said since the virus was only detected in Brazil’s wild birds at this stage, Brazil was still able to export chicken to South Africa.

“Should the flu affect chicken – a high likelihood that it would – it will impact chicken imports to the country. Imports will be banned.

“In the past, instead of importing chicken meat from Brazil, South Africa imported from the US, Ireland, Australia and Thailand. This is a normal pattern

when one country is banned. Chicken meat will be imported from another country.”

He said South Africa was able to get chicken cheaper from the US, but it had an anti-dumping duty against the country. According to the International Trade Administration Commission, anti-dumping duties were imposed as protection for the Southern African Customs Union industry against unfair trade. This is when foreign producers export products at prices lower than

their domestic selling prices, causing or threatening to cause material injury to the industry. “The next cheapest country is Brazil and that is why we see a high number of imports from them.”

Breitenbach said South Africa also imported mechanically deboned poultry meat (MDM) paste from Brazil. This is used to make polony.

“We import about 15 000 tons of MDM a month from Brazil. There aren’t really any other countries that can supply MDM to South Africa. So should Brazil test positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry, the MDM imports will stop and we will not have alternative sources. But we are in talks with the Department of Agriculture in South Africa on how to remedy the situation.”

He said chicken prices were currently at their highest. “This is mainly due to high raw material costs, high feed costs, and the high cost of maize and soya.”

He did not foresee the price rising. “We are already being met with consumer resistance based on our current prices.”

Fred Hume, the managing director of Hume International, a global company that deals with the import, export, and distribution of frozen foods, said South Africa needed to prepare for the worst.

“If imports from Brazil are banned, there would be an immediate and potentially crippling impact on the local market which would cost thousands of jobs, cause dramatic increases in prices, and result in supply shortages. Local poultry producers simply cannot satisfy local demand, and South Africa is heavily reliant on Brazil to fill the void in supply.”

Hume said the broiler industry’s food processing sector was responsible for more than 31 000 jobs.

“A shortage of MDM, a key ingredient in sausages, viennas, polonies, and pet food, could result in local production cutbacks and place these jobs at risk.

“Likewise, production cuts could result in shortages of affordable processed meat products, while disruptions in frozen chicken supplies would result in meteoric price increases. Both, in turn, will threaten the food security of poor and low-income families who are dependent on chicken for protein.”

Hume said to mitigate the potential ban on Brazilian chicken, the government should extend the suspension of import duties on frozen chicken and consider regionalisation for bird flu outbreaks.

“They could also consider implementing heat treatment protocols for MDM from countries where there is bird flu. MDM is already subject to heat treatments prior to shipping, but additional treatments would set consumers’ minds at ease while ensuring a steady supply of the key ingredient for meat manufacturers.”

Meanwhile, Ivan Meyer, Western Cape Provincial Minister for Agriculture, earlier this month said bird flu was detected in two commercial layer farms in the Paardeberg area and more than 120 000 birds had either died or had been destroyed. “Farmers and poultry producers should be vigilant in their biosecurity measures.”