Poultry group pulls trigger in quota lawsuit

THE SOUTH African Poultry Association (Sapa) has filed a lawsuit seeking to force the government to suspend a quota that excludes some US poultry imports from an anti-dumping tariff, a senior official with the association said yesterday. If successful, the move – a response to the Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on aluminium and steel imports – could put at risk duty-free access to the US market for nearly $2 billion (R29.18bn) worth of South African exports. “We’ve pulled the trigger,” said Marthinus Stander, chairperson of Sapa’s broiler organisation, referring to the legal action the association had threatened for more than a month. SA Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies acknowledged that the government had received the court papers relating to the lawsuit from the poultry group, but declined to comment. – Reuters