South African food crisis warning

South Africa is facing a severe food crisis as a ban on chicken imports from Brazil due to bird flu is set to impact around 400 million poultry-based meals per month in the country. 

This is feedback from the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) and food producer Eskort, who have outlined the impact of the loss of imports from Brazil on the local industry. 

Mechanically deboned chicken from Brazil is typically used by South African companies to produce Polony, Viennas, Russians, and various kinds of offal, including chicken feet, gizzards, and skins. 

The AMIE said that despite assurances from the local industry, including giants such as Astral Foods, that they can fill the gap, this is highly unlikely.  

Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of poultry products and accounts for 73% of all poultry imported into South Africa. Crucially, it makes up 92% of all mechanically deboned chicken meat (MDM) imported into the country. 

Eskort said that 18,000 metric tonnes imported from Brazil are vital in the production of processed meat products, which, alongside offal, is a major source of meat for South Africans. 

It said the absence of Brazilian imports will drive up prices and threaten the affordability and accessibility of basic protein for millions. 

“Chicken offal and MDM are not luxuries. They are foundational to school feeding programmes and the production of processed meats, which are the most affordable proteins for low-income households,” AMIE CEO Imameleng Mothebe said. 

Ultimately, Brazilian chicken meat is the source of over 400 million poultry-based meals per month for South Africa.

“The fact is that local producers alone cannot fill the gap in the production of offal, and South Africa effectively does not produce mechanically deboned meat at a commercial scale,” Mothebe said. 

The table below shows official South African import statistics per month, which indicates the number of chickens required per category to meet local demand for offal.

Using the estimated output of an additional four million birds a month from local producers, the following shortfalls in offal per month will remain –

• Chicken feet – 3,773 tonnes per month
• Gizzards – 1,315 tonnes per month
• Livers – 287 tonnes per month.

“Without urgent action, price increases and food shortages for consumers, and job losses for local manufacturers of processed meats who employ over 125,000 workers, will follow,” Mothebe said. 

Solutions on the table

The AMIE and Eskort have called on the government to urgently grant Brazil a regionalisation or zoning agreement, limiting the ban on imports to a specific region where bird flu is present. 

Eskort explained that a zoning agreement will allow Brazil to apply for the recognition of disease-free zones, which can then continue to export products to South Africa. 

The company’s CEO, Arnold Prinsloo, urged the Department of Agriculture to follow Namibia’s and Mozambique’s example and narrow the ban to only chicken from Rio Grande Do Sul, the state affected by avian flu.

“The rest of Brazil can be regarded as safe, and a pragmatic and proactive decision to accept imports on that basis will go a long way to heading off the looming crisis in South Africa,” he said.

Mothebe said the AMIE supports this initiative, which will demarcate affected areas whilst the rest of the country remains open. 

The World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) widely accepts and supports regionalisation, especially given the ongoing global disease phenomenon.

Many countries are currently concluding regionalisation agreements with Brazil and will soon reopen their markets to Brazilian imports.  

“We urge that the conclusion of engagements between South Africa and Brazil is expedited, to minimise the impact on the South African economy and consumers alike,” Mothebe said.   

“The current situation is not just a trade issue, it’s about protecting jobs, businesses, consumer affordability and food security.”

Prinsloo also disputed the ability of local producers to make up the shortfall, saying that this would only be true for fresh or frozen chicken. 

However, he warned that it may already be too late, with any relief from the ban having a four-to-six-week supply gap. 

This will result in processors standing idle for more than 60 days, risking heavy job losses and price increases for offal and mechanically deboned chicken meat.

“This is not only a supply chain crisis, but also a pending socio-economic and political disaster,” said Prinsloo.