US senators urge Zuma to open up SA market
US SENATORS Chris Coons and Johnny Isakson have written to President Jacob Zuma again urging him to open up the local market to US poultry “expeditiously” to avoid South Africa losing lucrative export benefits to the US.
Coons of Delaware and Isakson of Georgia, both represent major US poultry-producing states. They wrote their urgent appeal to Zuma as agricultural and trade officials from the US and South Africa were meeting in Pretoria to try to resolve the protracted dispute over US meat imports.
The two US senators first wrote to Zuma in December last year, urging him to end duties on US poultry imports, failing which they threatened to try to block South Africa’s inclusion in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa).
At stake is South Africa’s continued enjoyment of trade benefits under Agoa, which last year allowed $1.6 billion (R21.6bn) worth of exports into the US market duty free.
Agoa, which was due to expire on September 30, was renewed earlier this year. But Coons and Isakson were instrumental in ensuring that South Africa would only continue to enjoy the benefits if it let in US meat exports – especially poultry – which have been blocked for several years.
Paris
In June, the two sides agreed in Paris on an annual quota of 65 000 tons of US poultry.
But South Africa continued to block the poultry imports, citing concerns about an outbreak of avian flu in the US.
Pretoria has also maintained its long ban on imports of US pork and beef, also on health grounds.
The veterinary experts from both sides are trying to thrash out those concerns in their meeting in Pretoria.
Coons and Isakson wrote to Zuma that the Paris agreement had been welcome news to the entire US poultry industry.
But they were disappointed that there had been no progress in addressing South Africa’s complete ban on US poultry due to avian flu.
They pointed out that the review
Coons and Isakson were disappointed about SA’s complete ban on US poultry due to avian flu.
by the US Administration into South Africa’s continued eligibility for Agoa was “another reason for swift action to be taken by South Africa“.
The US is asking South Africa to “regionalise” imports of US poultry – that is to ban poultry imports only from those areas where avian flu has broken out.
But so far South Africa has insisted it will not import any poultry from the US until the country is free of avian flu.
Speaking before the meeting, Eric Coleman of the US Department of Agriculture, (USDA) said: “Avian influenza is a global problem… and it’s important that trading partners, as well as the international community work together on it.”
Resolution
“We welcome the opportunity to continue the discussion and to achieve resolution to several long-standing issues.“
Mark Davidson, also of the USDA, said: “We have 100 trading partners around the world that have taken no action against the US in regard to poultry trade and we have 38 partners who have implemented regionalisation.
“It is a worldwide standard that we have implemented, which has enabled us to safely trade poultry and poultry products,” he added.
The US embassy in Pretoria said before the meeting that “eliminating barriers to trade in poultry, pork, and beef will address issues under consideration in an out-of-cycle review process of South Africa’s status under Agoa, will directly support South Africa’s goals of achieving enhanced food security, and will benefit… consumers with broader selection and lower prices”. – ANA