December 1, 2015
South Africa set to resume importation of US chicken
South Africa is set to resume import of US poultry by the end of this month, after the US threatened retaliation early November by suspending benefits to South African agricultural products under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for failure to meet the eligibility requirements of the Act.
South Africa signed the "Protocol for Poultry Meat and Day-Old Chicks," a trade agreement with the US on Nov. 13.
South Africa had missed an October deadline to finalise the trade protocol, which sets forth a 65,000-tonne quota for US poultry imports starting Dec. 31, 2015.
The import quota was earlier agreed upon last June, but South Africa banned poultry imports from the US following the outbreak of avian influenza.
Under the new protocol that both countries signed, South Africa allows continued exports of poultry from areas in the US that are not affected by avian flu, in the event of a future outbreak.
South Africa said that negotiating a protocol that secured market access and at the same time protecting health was difficult. The agreement, he added, helped the country maintain its AGOA eligibility.
South Africa''s Department of Trade and Industry also said the two countries were on track to finalise outstanding issues related to beef and pork trade.