The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and Brazil are hopefully nearing a decision on potentially easing the restriction of poultry imports from Brazil.
Minister John Steenhuisen said he hoped his department would be able to make a decision on possible regionalisation of the ban by the end of the week.
The recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial poultry farm in Rio Grande do Sul has resulted in South Africa banning all Brazilian poultry shipments packed on or after 01 May 2025.
The blanket ban has been widely criticised by industry experts, stating that the complete ban will result in national food shortages and significant potential job losses in the meat processing sector.
South Africa imports most of its poultry from Brazil, a 20% annual consumption gap that local producers are not able to fill. Over 90% of imported mechanically deboned meat (MDM) comes from Brazil, as South Africa does not commercially produce MDM.
No other country matches Brazil in producing MDM in substantial quantities.
Industry leaders have called on government to consider regionalisation, which would safely allow poultry imports from regions in Brazil that are free from bird flu.
Brazil has recently applied for regionalisation measures in South Africa, alongside numerous applications to other global markets following the country’s bird flu outbreak.
The Department of Agriculture is presently awaiting further supporting documentation from Brazil, which is expected relatively soon.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen advocates for a regionalisation strategy for chicken imports from nations grappling with bird flu, but emphasises the need for careful decision-making to safeguard South Africa’s poultry industry from the disease.
A regionalisation agreement with Brazil will significantly contribute to ensuring a stable poultry supply in South Africa, particularly for MDM, essential for processed meats such as polony and viennas.
Much of South Africa’s poorest households depend on affordable processed proteins as even relatively affordable individually quick-frozen (IQF) chicken remains too costly for many.
Experts Weigh In
International trade law expert, Dr. Gustav Brink, asserts that local producers will not be able to fill the immediate supply gap.
Brink warns that failure to regionalise poultry imports from Brazil will likely lead to a 10-20% price increase for all poultry products and result in prolonged shortages of MDM, offals, and frozen bone-in cuts for at least six months.
Animal health scientist, Thabo Nkabinde, further highlights a significant challenge in South Africa’s governance of biosecurity functions.
“With DALRRD shifting biosecurity oversight to the Border Management Authority, the decision-making has become detached from scientific expertise,” Nkabinde explains.
This shift increases reliance on bans rather than scientific risk assessments, exacerbating trade disruptions.
Nkabinde concludes that scientifically risk-assessed regionalisation ensures supply continuity while preserving biosecurity integrity.
With animal disease prevalence increasing world-wide, it is critical to adopt agile policies that ensure minimal disruption of value chains while following the necessary biosecurity protocols to minimise risk of infection spreading.
ChickenFacts will keep readers and industry stakeholders informed with the latest updates.
