AMIE urges swift reopening of poultry imports to ease shortage
Group backs Brazil trade decision, calls for AI-free market access
10 June 2025
2 minute read
By: South Africa's Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) is calling on the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALLRD) to urgently reopen poultry imports from countries that have self-declared freedom from Avian Influenza (AI), in accordance with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) guidelines.
These countries include France (4 February 2025), Sweden (31 March 2025), and both Denmark and Belgium (23 May 2025). The last recorded imports from Denmark were in 2020, when South Africa imported an average of 1,384 metric tons of poultry products per month, including both poultry cuts and mechanically deboned meat (MDM).
AMIE also welcomed the Department of Agriculture’s commitment to make a determination on a partial lifting of the Brazilian import suspension by the end of this week. This would be based on the fact that the Avian Flu outbreak is contained to the Rio Grande do Sol province in Brazil.
Brazilian imports are currently halted due to the Avian Influenza outbreak in Rio Grande do Sol, which produces between ten and fifteen percent of all poultry in that country. Since local producers are unable to meet total demand, particularly for poultry offal and MDM, which South Africa does not produce at scale, it is critical to diversify supply sources to ensure continued affordability, availability, and market stability.
“Opening access to each additional AI-free market will help alleviate some of the current poultry supply gap and reduce the growing economic and food security risks created by the current overall suspension of imports from Brazil," said Imameleng Mothebe, CEO of AMIE. "Even with a partial lifting of the suspension of imports from Brazil, there will still be a shortfall that will need to be filled in order to maintain consumption demand in our country. Opening additional markets not only fills this gap, but also future proofs South Africa against AI-related supply shortages."
AMIE supports government’s ongoing efforts to finalise regionalisation agreements and urges the swift reopening of trade with approved AI-free markets. These steps are essential to stabilise supply, ease price pressure on key protein products, and safeguard jobs and businesses across the processed meat value chain.
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), international trade in poultry products can safely resume from countries or zones that have self-declared freedom from Avian Influenza (AI), provided they meet established surveillance and control standards.
WOAH also supports the principle of regionalisation, allowing trade to continue from unaffected areas within a country experiencing an outbreak, once appropriate measures have been taken and declared. These guidelines are designed to protect animal and public health while minimising unnecessary trade disruptions.
