Some chicken facts

DEAR SIR — David Wolpert of the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) is incorrect in stating that the South African Poultry Association (Sapa) applied for a 200% increase in duty on imports (The sky is not falling, Letters, May 28).

On leg quarters, which form the bulk of imports, Sapa has asked for a tariff of 56% — an increase of about 30% over the existing tariff, and has not asked for any increase on mechanically deboned meat, which forms a large part of poultry imports.

Poultry importers have been landing product at prices way below that at which local manufacturers are able to produce — and then selling this at retail level at a premium. These “savings” are certainly not passed on to consumer.

For years, meat importers have taken advantage of the state’s insufficient resources to circumvent food safety arrangements. Local abattoirs are continually checked by the agriculture and health departments — and if not compliant are forced to take remedial action — but the same is not happening on imported chicken. There are just over 200 registered abattoirs in SA, but well over 1,000 foreign abattoirs exporting to us. Some of these were accredited in the 1980s and are not regularly checked by South African authorities.

While Mr Wolpert often refers to the “high quality” of imported chicken, from November 2012 to January 2013, chicken was imported from Australia even though they were prohibited from exporting to SA due to a bird flu outbreak. At least one importer spent millions of rand on a microwaving facility to thaw out imported frozen product, and at least one other was reported to the authorities for using a warm bath to thaw product before injecting brine. Additionally, product is thawed, injected and refrozen, and sold as a product resembling IQF (individually quick frozen) in retail stores — a dangerous practice known as reworking.

As for jobs, the importers’ only jobs are logistical, storage and transport, nowhere near the 125,000 jobs created by poultry producers that are now at risk. As poultry is not the only product importers traffic in, these resources will quickly be put to another use.

AMIE must deal in facts at the International Trade Administration Commission of SA, which earlier ruled that poultry had been dumped. While we understand their profits are at stake, so too is the local poultry industry, food safety and our nation’s food security.

Kevin Lovell

CEO, South African Poultry Association