Mixed reaction to South Africa’s new poultry master plan

A master plan aimed at addressing the various challenges faced by South Africa’s poultry industry was recently unveiled by the Department of Trade and Industry.

The plan provided a framework to address the various challenges faced by the poultry sector through a combined strategy to propel the industry forward, the department said in a statement.

It set out how the industry’s capacity would be expanded and how it would ensure that locally produced products made up an increasingly larger proportion of consumption over time.

In order to achieve this, government and industry would work together to revamp the country’s certification systems so that South Africa would be able to meet the requirements of major importing countries.

The plan would also encourage black participation, and particularly black ownership, across the value chain, the statement said.

The plan was welcomed by the South African Poultry Association (SAPA) as “a blueprint to take the industry forward”. Izaak Breitenbach, general manager of SAPA’s Broiler Organisation, said the plan made provision for addressing many unfair trade practices.

These included dumping and a number of food safety irregularities related to imports, which had been of great concern to SAPA and the formal import sector.

However, not everyone welcomed the plan. Robert Patson of Happy Land Farm near Kyalami told Farmer’s Weekly the plan was a set-up for disaster. He said it seemed as if government had not taken all of South Africa’s problems into account.

“Broilers need a lot of water; however, due to changing weather conditions, South Africa is becoming a waterscarce country. An increase in production also means an increase in feed. Maize, which constitutes nearly 70% of the total feed mixture, is dependent on water. We are currently faced by severe droughts affecting maize production.”

He also said production would be affected if the current power supply challenges were not resolved.

“To raise healthy and uniform birds, it is essential to maintain optimal heating and ventilation. Due to load-shedding, generators will be needed, and not all producers will be able to afford them, [and those who do] will have to cut back on their profits.” – Jeandré van der Walt

power cuts hamper broiler production