South Africa’s International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC), which administers the country’s trade laws, recently announced plans to conduct a tariff investigation on all poultry imports, according to a recent USDA Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report.
The report notes that South Africa’s Minister for Trade and Industry and Competition directed ITAC to conduct a review of the current poultry import situation and submit recommendations focusing on:
- Considering the introduction of specific rather than ad valorem duties;
- Considering simplifying the tariff structure by reducing the number of tariff lines for poultry in Schedule 1 to the customs and Excise Act, Act 91 of 1964, by operating at a 6-digit, 7-digit or 8-digit level;
- Considering specific anti-dumping measures where appropriate and consider how these impact on the level of the ad valorem tariffs;
- Considering the introduction of an appropriate system of rebates whereby tariff levels on certain imports can be reduced where parties are achieving exports;
- Considering the possibility of other measures such as an entry price system.”
The recent review and investigation of the entire poultry tariff structure falls under what the country calls Pillar five of the Poultry Sector Master Plan, adopted in 2019, which speaks about implementing trade measures to support local industry.
In 2018, South Africa imported 566,208 tons of poultry products; however, there was a decrease over the following two years with total poultry imports dropping to 485,542 tons in 2020. The total poultry imports declined by 11 percent from 2020 to 2019.
The chart below shows U.S. bone-in chicken meat imports into South Africa for the years 2011 to 2020.
