24-05-2025
No chicken shortage expected as SA bans imports from Brazil
The Department of Agriculture has banned all fresh and frozen chicken imports from Brazil following an outbreak of avian influenza in that country, according to South African Poultry Association (SAPA) general manager Izaak Breitenbach. The ban on chicken imports from Brazil is not expected to lead to a shortage of chicken meat in South Africa.
'Brazil does not have a compartmentalisation agreement with South Africa, which would have allowed imports from unaffected regions, so no chicken imports are allowed from anywhere in that country,' Breitenbach told Farmer's Weekly.
Cooked or heat-treated chicken will also not be allowed to be imported from Brazil due to the potential threat it poses to the local industry.
Despite this, Breitenbach said the ban would not negatively affect South African chicken supplies or prices.
'South African producers should be able to make up for the shortfall, as we are entering a time of lower demand,' he said.
He pointed out that South Africa produces more than 80% of the chicken consumed locally.
'Brazil supplies most of our chicken imports, equating to about 18% of local production, but only 4.5% of these imports comprise bone-in chicken portions, such as leg quarters, drumsticks and wings,' Breitenbach said.
Processed meat may be hit
More than 60% of the chicken imported from Brazil consisted of mechanically deboned meat used in processed products such as polonies and sausages. Breitenbach said a shortage of these products, which are categorised as 'red meats' and not chicken, could occur.
Avian influenza is currently disrupting trade in various countries, but Breitenbach noted that South African outbreaks traditionally occur in spring, when wild birds migrate from Europe and other parts of the world.
These birds are routinely tested to identify potential outbreaks, and none have tested positive for the disease so far this year.
South Africa has not experienced an outbreak in 2024, but suffered major losses in 2023, when over 9.6 million birds were culled.
The industry reportedly incurred direct losses of more than R9.5b during the outbreak. Prices for poultry meat and eggs soared, with egg prices increasing by over 30%.
Breitenbach said SAPA had met with Minister John Steenhuisen of the Department of Agriculture to address biosecurity and monitoring protocols that prevent farmers from vaccinating birds against avian influenza, as culling infected birds is not an effective control measure.
'Minister Steenhuisen has escalated our concerns in the department to enable vaccination. However, even if we start vaccinating today, it will not be soon enough to protect the birds against a possible outbreak in spring, as all the long-life birds, which are typically kept for about a year, would need to be vaccinated.'
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