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THE DOMESTIC POULTRY INDUSTRY APPROVES SOUTH AFRICA’S INTENTION TO PERMIT CONTINUOUS POULTRY IMPORTS FROM BRAZIL A very encouraging letter this morning in the Business Day from the CEO of the South African Poultry Association, Mr Izaak Braitenbach. Among other things, he says South Africa’s Department of Agriculture’s decision not to impose a blanket ban on poultry imports from Brazil, following the outbreak of Newcastle disease in poultry, is the right one, as the domestic poultry industry supports it. He also expressed the poultry industry’s confidence in the systems in place to ensure imported meat is safe. The local poultry industry sees the value of imports, on a fair basis, in stabilising our poultry meat needs. Brazil is particularly important in South Africa’s poultry meat imports. Brazil is a key poultry supplier to South Africa. They aren’t the only ones. We also import from the U.S., the EU, and Argentina, among others. We import about 20% of our annual poultry consumption (roughly 350,000 tonnes of various pieces). But Brazil has a sizable share of imports, at around 70% annually. South Africans can be assured that poultry meat and everything they find in stores are safe. We also don’t anticipate poultry meat price increases. The poultry supply is healthy. --Wandile