South African beef exporters are a step closer to accessing the Egyptian market following the conclusion of negotiations on a Veterinary Health Certificate governing red meat exports between the two countries.
Shipments would be cleared to begin once the final signatures had been formally appended to the agreement, Minister of Agriculture Willie Aucamp said at the Agri North West Congress last week.
“This is a major milestone for South Africa’s agricultural sector, which has been facing one of the biggest foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in decades,” he said.
Aucamp said he had impressed upon his department that successfully concluding the negotiations was important for the country’s red meat producers.
“I am pleased that the team made it happen,” he said.
The agreement was reached through engagement between South African and Egyptian veterinary authorities and will provide exporters with a regulatory framework for accessing the Egyptian market while meeting the necessary animal health and food safety requirements.
“Government remains committed to strengthening international trade relations and expanding market-access opportunities for South Africa’s red meat sector,” Aucamp said.
He added that opening international markets could attract revenue to rural economies and stimulate activity throughout agricultural value chains.
“Every international market South Africa opens creates an opportunity for money to flow back into the rural economy and build commerce along our value chains,” he said.
Egypt represents a potentially significant market for South African beef exporters. A report by the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, based on the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025–2034, indicates that imports account for more than half of the beef consumed in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Iran. The remainder is supplied by live-animal imports and domestic production.
Beef consumption per capita is forecast to increase by 18% in Egypt over the next decade, compared with projected increases of 52% in Iran and 15% in Saudi Arabia, according to the report.
South Africa exported approximately 28 700 tonnes of beef in 2025, representing a decline of about 26% compared with 2024, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
The leading destinations for South African bovine meat exports by value in 2025 were the United Arab Emirates at R494 million, Jordan at R445m, Kuwait at R382m, Qatar at R208m and Mozambique at R144m.
However, the country’s continuing foot-and-mouth disease outbreak remains a significant risk to production and export growth.
The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy has estimated that the disease could result in more than R11.3 billion in lost beef production value between 2025 and 2030.
It estimated that more than R800m in beef export revenue was lost during outbreaks between 2019 and 2025. Cumulative export losses could reach as much as R2.6bn by the end of 2026.
