South Africa: US poultry trade proposal unreasonable

National Chicken Council

The South African Poultry Association says a proposal from the U.S. poultry industry to resolve trade issues is not good enough.




From WATTAgNet:

The South African Poultry Association (SAPA) has balked at a proposal from the U.S. poultry industry aimed at resolving the ongoing impasse over U.S. poultry imports into South Africa, saying the U.S. proposal is essentially asking South Africa to shrink its economy.

The U.S. poultry industry has been working to get South Africa to eliminate antidumping duties placed on the import of U.S. poultry products. The duties have been in place for fourteen years.

SAPA CEO Kevin Lovell said his organization will respond to the latest offer by its U.S. counterpart, the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC), as the two organizations try to resolve a trade dispute that threatens to end South Africa’s participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade scheme.

Lovell said the industry body would also be repeating its invitation to continue discussions with USAPEEC and the National Chicken Council of the U.S. in South Africa.

Lovell dismissed claims that SAPA was holding up efforts to resolve the trade dispute.

“As the duties are lawfully in place the best solution for the dispute is that the two industries find some reasonable compromise,” said Lovell. “We have been twice to the USA, they have yet to come here, and it is time for some sunshine discussions.”

According to Lovell, the current U.S. offer would remove the equivalent of the third-largest producer from the South African market. “That is both unreasonable and unacceptable,” he said.

U.S. political leaders, including Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, and Johnny Isakson, R-Georgia, have called the duties unfair and have urged the South African government to remove the duties. The two senators wrote to South African President Jacob Zuma on the matter in December 2014.