The South African poultry industry has asked the government to withdraw the concession granted to US authorities to determine for themselves which US states can export poultry to South Africa, says industry organisation the South African Poultry Association (SAPA).

All poultry-producing states in the US have been affected by outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, or bird flu), and 27 of those states are currently banned by the South African authorities from exporting poultry to this country.

Prior to the concession, these decisions have previously been taken by the Department of Agriculture (DoA), based on US notifications to the World Organisation of Animal Health.

However, the department has now allowed the US to self-impose and self-lift bird flu restrictions.

This decision, implemented three months ago with no consultation with the domestic industry, is an alarming abdication of its responsibility to defend South Africa’s poultry sector, says SAPA Broiler Organisation CEO Izaak Breitenbach.

“By granting the US the right to determine its own disease status and export policies, the DoA has created a serious conflict of interest.

“The risk is palpable. The US is grappling with widespread outbreaks of bird flu and can now prioritise its own interests and potentially expose South Africa to the disease that cost its industry R9.5-billion and wiped out 30% of its long-living chicken flock in 2023,” he says.

This is an unprecedented and reckless shift that compromises South Africa’s disease-free status and threatens both food security and the future sustainability of the poultry sector, he notes.

Further, the concession sets a dangerous precedent that other large-scale poultry exporters, such as the EU and Brazil, could soon demand the same latitude, leaving the South African poultry industry further exposed to disease outbreaks.

This is why the South African poultry industry has formally asked the DoA to reverse the decision. Decisions about the risk and spread of HPAI into South Africa must be taken by the South African authorities, and must not be ceded to the US, or any other exporting country.

“We call on the DoA to end this concession and restore its role as a protector of the local industry, the workforce it supports, and the nation’s food security. The future of South Africa’s poultry sector depends on it,” says Breitenbach.