The beleaguered poultry industry, already under siege from Brazilian imports, is set to receive another body blow.
This after two EU countries have been given the go-ahead to dump chicken in South Africa once more.
According to advocacy group FairPlay, a bird flu ban has been lifted on Ireland and the Netherlands.
Ireland will be able to export free of anti-dumping duties until August, if the South African government decides to impose duties delayed since August last year. The other – the Netherlands – has been subject to anti-dumping duties on bone-in chicken imports since 2015.
According to FairPlay, Ireland has been cleared to resume exports to South Africa of chicken produced after February, but had not done so by May, the latest month for which statistics are available. The Netherlands is now able to export chicken produced after May 5.
The UK and the other seven EU countries licensed to export poultry to South Africa remain subject to bird flu bans. They are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Spain.
“Denmark, Poland and Spain are the three other EU countries against which anti-dumping duties should have been imposed last August after they were found guilty of dumping chicken portions in South Africa. They will be hoping to resume shipments if bird flu abates sufficiently in the northern summer to have their bans lifted,” according to a statement from FairPlay.
“Much will depend on the decision trade minister Ebrahim Patel takes on imposing the duties next month or extending the 12-month delay. A worst-case scenario for the local poultry industry would be four EU countries allowed to resume dumping, with chicken imports not only duty-free in terms of a trade agreement with the EU, but free also of anti-dumping duties as a gift from the South African government.”
