The group described the move as a positive step towards addressing a potential food security crisis.  

The decision comes amid growing concern about the rising cost of food, particularly for low-income households that rely heavily on affordable processed meat products.

Under the revised regulations, imports from Brazil are permitted to resume with immediate effect, excluding poultry from the avian flu-affected state of Rio Grande do Sul. Chicken from all other Brazilian states may now be imported.

AMIE Chief Executive Officer Imameleng Mothebe said the industry is pleased with the development but noted that trade cannot resume just yet.

“Despite the uplifting of the ban, we cannot trade at this point with Brazil because there are some documents that the South African government still has to complete and hand over to Brazilian authorities,” she explained. “These documents are necessary for Brazil’s veterinary services to approve products for export.”

Mothebe added that the association has been assured that the government is working on the required paperwork and urged officials to act swiftly.

“We're just urging the same agility that we saw in trying to resume exports from Brazil to apply now as well, so we can quickly move to having these products imported,” she said.

The poultry import restrictions were initially put in place due to an outbreak of avian flu in Brazil.

--ChannelAfrica--