South African food shortage still on the cards

South Africa is not out of the woods yet, and could still face severe food shortages due to a ban on chicken imports from Brazil that has been partially lifted.

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

MDM is used in processed meat products like polony, viennas, and sausages, which are often cheaper and form a large part of poorer South Africans’ diets.

Food producer Eskort previously said 18,000 metric tonnes imported from Brazil are vital in the production of these processed meat products.

However, in May 2025, the Department of Agriculture imposed a ban on food imports from Brazil, as parts of the South American country had suffered from an avian flu outbreak.

This meant South Africa had to suspend trade of live poultry, eggs and fresh poultry meat and the issuing of new import permits.

This ban was met with severe pushback from the local food industry, with many warning of the devastating consequences such a ban could have on food security in the country.

Eskort was one of the most vocal voices in this debate, warning that the absence of Brazilian imports would increase prices and threaten the affordability and accessibility of basic protein for millions.

The Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) also weighed in, explaining that products like 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. 

Brazilian chicken meat is the source of over 400 million monthly poultry-based meals 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.

Faced with this backlash, the Agriculture Department decided to take and apply suggestions from industry stakeholders for a regional approach to the ban.

In June 2025, the department announced a partial lift on the import ban, assessing whether the regionalisation of chicken imports from Brazil can be put in place to ensure local demand for the product is met.

Now, the partial lifting of the import ban will be applied to all other States of Brazil, aside from the Rio Grande do Sul region, where the avian flu outbreak was detected in mid-May. 

A welcome and necessary move

Several industry role players have welcomed the department’s decision, saying this move would avert significant shortages of affordable protein in South Africa.

The South African Meat Processors Association (SAMPA) welcomed the announcement, adding that it would also help the manufacturing sector retain the hundreds of thousands of jobs reliant on imports of MDM.

“South Africa does not produce MDM in any significant quantity and so is forced to import the commodity,” the association said. 

“We are grateful for the urgency displayed by the National Department of Agriculture and especially Minister John Steenhuisen, Deputy Director-General Dipeneneng Serage and his team in averting the full-scale social and humanitarian crisis which the ban imposed on 16 May threatened to unleash.” 

“While it will take some time for imports of MDM to reach our shores, the situation could have been a lot worse.” 

Georg Southey, the manager of Merlog Foods, one of South Africa’s largest importers of chicken and chilled meats, echoed this sentiment, calling it a “welcome and necessary move”. 

“The decision to partially lift this ban could not have come at a more critical time. South Africa has been losing over 100 million meals per week due to the ban,” Southey said. 

“These affordable proteins are essential to school feeding schemes and low-income families and no other country could fill the gap.”

“I commend the Department and the Minister of Agriculture for responding swiftly to industry concerns and engaging constructively with Brazilian authorities to implement a regionalisation protocol.” 

He said the department’s decision strikes a vital balance between biosecurity and national food needs. 

“However, there are clear lessons to be learned from the time it took to lift the ban – lessons we must apply to expedite future decisions in similar crises. Speed matters when it comes to food security,” he said.

Not out of the woods yet

While also welcoming the Agriculture Department’s speedy response, Eskort warned that South Africa is by no means out of the woods yet.

The food producer told Daily Investor that although the department has agreed to partially lift the suspension, there is still a long process ahead.

Firstly, Brazil must send a certificate to the government, and they must agree on the legalities and wording. Only once that certificate is in place can producers and importers place orders to Brazil.

“Production has stopped in Brazil, so there will be a two-week lead time on production,” Eskort CEO Arnold Prinsloo said. 

“Those orders will take six weeks to get here, and then one to two weeks to clear customs. Thus, there will still be an impact on consumers and businesses and food security at large.” 

He said that while Eskort has stock in place, many smaller suppliers are in trouble, and will remain so.