South Africa imposes new levy on poultry meat

South Africa has imposed a new, temporary import levy of 13.9% on frozen, on the bone poultry meat from the European Union. The new levy is imposed until the 3rd of July 2017.

South Africa is the most important export destination for poultry meat from the European Union. Up to and including October 2016, 17.4% of the total export to third countries went to South Africa. South African poultry organisations had urged their government for measures to decrease import, partly because much poultry meat from the United States and Brazil enters the country. At the beginning of 2016, the organisations requested the South African International Trading Administration Commission to take measures against import.

Dutch poultry sector dissatisfied with levy

For Dutch exporters, the levy superimposed the already effective import levy of 23.8%, according to Nepluvi chairman Gert-Jan Oplaat. The levy also replaced individual levies for different slaughterhouses (that were set at 0% for some of them). Oplaat calls the situation ‘unpleasant’ and is very dissatisfied about the new levies. Export of Dutch poultry meat to South Africa was already banned because of the outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, as was poultry meat from other European countries where poultry farms are infected.

Also interesting: Case Study: South Africa’s growing poultry consumption

Avec lobbies against levy

The European alliance Avec is lobbying against the levy, for example through the European Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The European poultry industry has been denying ‘dumping’ for years, which is the only reason why South Africa can impose duties on poultry meat, because of the trade agreement it has with the EU.