National Chicken Council President Mike Brown in an interview with POLITICO on Thursday urged President Obama to move forward with plans to suspend agricultural trade benefits for South Africa by January 4 because of that country’s failure to make good on a deal to reopen its market to U.S. chicken. That deal was negotiated nearly six months ago in Paris.
“We’re calling … for immediate action against South African agricultural products on January 4 if U.S. chicken products are not entering South Africa,” said Brown in the article. He also urged the administration to increase pressure on South Africa by moving to suspend all trade benefits for the country under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which would affect additional products like automobiles.
Brown said there was no scientific basis for South Africa to block U.S. poultry imports because of food safety concerns.
“The U.S. chicken industry exports products to over 100 nations, using the same gold standard that we use domestically in terms of health certificates and standards for pathogens,” he said. “South Africa has not accepted that and what I understand from our government is that those conversations ended not well yesterday,” Brown said, referring to discussions between the two countries.
