SA has suspended all imports of poultry and poultry products from Brazil after the confirmation of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak in chickens in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
These include live poultry, eggs and fresh (including frozen) poultry meat.
The department of agriculture, land reform & rural development announced the trade suspension on Tuesday, effective from May 19, for all poultry products packaged on or after April 30.
Brazil has since halted global shipments pending further assessments.
SA’s R65bn poultry sector — the second-largest agricultural industry in the country — provides nearly 58,000 jobs along the value chain and is a vital source of affordable protein for millions of households.
Though Brazil is the world’s leading poultry exporter and supplies more than 84% of SA’s poultry imports according to the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE), it accounted for only 18% of the country’s total poultry consumption last year, the SA Poultry Association (Sapa) said.
According to Sapa, local producers supplied more than 80% of the domestic market.
Dr Mpho Maja, a veterinarian and the department’s director of animal health, said the department had met with its Brazilian counterparts.
“A full report on the extent of the outbreak as well as measures being implemented by Brazilian authorities was presented to the SA authorities,” she said, adding that the government was satisfied with the steps Brazil was taking to prevent the outbreak from spreading to SA.
Maja told Business Day imports packaged on or before April 30, as well as heat-treated poultry products, will still be allowed into the country. However, all consignments — even those already en route by ship — that were packaged after May 1 will be returned to Brazil.
The poultry industry has mixed feelings about the blanket ban.
We are currently producing about 21.5 million chickens a week, and the industry has the capacity to increase this by about another million birds a week
— Izaak Breitenbach, CEO of Sapa's Broiler Organisation
AMIE has expressed concern, urging the government to adopt a more targeted, risk-based approach.
AMIE CEO Imameleng Mothebe, said: “A full ban on Brazilian poultry imports to SA will have devastating consequences for the SA poultry meat processors and consumers, particularly the most vulnerable in our society.
“Imported poultry not only fills the country’s poultry consumption gap, but provides the necessary competition to ensure that prices are kept in check. Chicken is the most affordable protein source for many in SA, and a disruption in the supply of poultry products, including bone-in chicken and mechanically deboned meat (MDM), will significantly drive up prices and impact food security.”
MDM is a key input for processed products like sausages and polony.
“SA does not produce commercial MDM locally, and there are no viable alternative markets to replace the volume currently imported from Brazil,” the association said in a statement.
But according to Izaak Breitenbach, CEO of Sapa’s Broiler Organisation, the domestic poultry industry is well-positioned to buffer the loss of Brazilian imports.
“We are currently producing about 21.5-million chickens a week, and the industry has the capacity to increase this by about another million birds a week,” he said.
“As the winter months are a period of lower demand for chicken, the additional supply should be sufficient to ensure there are no shortages of chicken meat, or price increases because of shortages.”
He added that Brazil has no compartmentalisation agreement with SA, which would have allowed imports from other parts of Brazil except the affected regions. “It is up to Brazil to apply for this, and it has not done so.”
Breitenbach agreed the primary impact will be on the supply of MDM, noting that SA does not produce it in large quantities.
“MDM accounts for about 60% of our poultry imports from Brazil. The second largest category is offal — products such as chicken heads, feet, gizzards and livers. A far smaller proportion — 4.5% of Brazilian imports — comprises bone-in chicken portions such as leg quarters, thighs, drumsticks and wings, he said.
SA faced its most severe bird flu outbreak in 2023, resulting in the loss of millions of birds and hundreds of jobs.
Often dismissed as a disease that affects only birds, bird flu has shown its ability to jump species, infecting poultry, dogs, cats, cattle and even humans.
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