Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Chris Coons (D-DE) last week penned a letter to South African President Jacob Zuma, urging him to quickly resolve the remaining elements of the settlement reached in June, and ultimately allow U.S. chicken exports to South Africa to resume.
The agreement allows an annual quota of 65,00 metric tons of bone-in poultry portions to enter South Africa free of any antidumping duties, and that there is a formula that permits the quota to grow as South Africa poultry production and consumption grow.
Senators Isakson and Coons have worked diligently in recent years to pressure the South African government to remove unwarranted antidumping duties on U.S. chicken, and to move toward regionalization. To ensure fair trade would resume, the Senators secured language in the reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) requiring the U.S. Trade Representative to conduct a review of South Africa’s trade practices, specifically antidumping duties on U.S. poultry.
The letter from Senators Isakson and Coons is available here.
The Senators’ diligence seems to have aided in pressing the issue in Pretoria. On Wednesday, The Republic of South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued a statement declaring that the U.S. Embassy and South Africa reached preliminary agreements to “regionalize” bans on U.S. chicken to the areas affected by High Path Avian Influenza, in place of the nationwide ban that has been imposed. According to the South African government, this will allow for a finalized deal on U.S. chicken imports by the end of year.
“South Africa shall implement the TRQ of 65,000 metric tons as agreed in the Paris meeting in June 2015 as soon as possible with a view to completing the administrative justice process that needs to be followed by the end of 2015,” according to a statement from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Republic of South Africa
“South Africa remains committed to fully implementing the letter and spirit of the agreement reached in Paris by the U.S. and South Africa on the issues related to AGOA. The process is irreversible,” DTI said.
The Republic of South Africa statement is available here.
