Partial poultry import relief welcomed, but biosecurity fears linger
While food manufacturers and consumers are relieved at the announcement of the partial lifting of a ban on poultry imports from Brazil, some are worried about the country's biosecurity.
Merlog Foods manager Georg Southey said the decision by the department of agriculture to partially lift the suspension of poultry imports from Brazil was a welcome and necessary move.
'The partial lifting of the import ban will be applied to all other states of Brazil, aside from the Rio Grande do Sul region, where the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, was detected in mid-May.
Millions of meals lost
'Lifting this ban could not have come at a more critical time,' he said.
Southey said South Africa has been losing over 100 million meals per week due to the ban, putting pressure on food affordability and security, especially as Stats SA reports that up to 30% of households in some provinces face regular hunger.
ALSO READ: Chicken import ban lifted to avoid crisis
Brazil's dominance in poultry supply chain
'Brazil supplies 95% of our mechanically deboned meat (MDM), a key ingredient in everyday staples like polony, Viennas and sausages. These affordable proteins are essential to school feeding schemes and low-income families. No other country could fill the gap,' he said.
Southey said while he commended the department for responding swiftly to industry concerns and for engaging constructively with Brazilian authorities to implement a regionalisation protocol, he added there were clear lessons to be learned from the time it took to lift the ban.
'Much-needed shift'
Southern African Agricultural Initiative CEO Francois Rossouw welcomed the move.
'It reflects a much-needed shift towards a science-based and internationally aligned approach to managing animal health risks through regionalisation.
'This decision will help stabilise the supply of affordable proteins.'
NOW READ: 'Lifting Brazil chicken ban only hurts local producers,' says Sapa
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