The central issue is the sustained campaign by the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) to get rid of all tariffs on South Africa’s chicken imports.
This includes the anti-dumping duties which apply to nine producer countries, and the general tariffs which South Africa imposes on chicken imports.
FairPlay has repeatedly pointed out the damage this would do to South Africa’s poultry industry, which is profitable and expanding after recovering from two crises – the flood of dumped chicken which peaked in 2018, and the 2023 bird flu outbreaks which costs the industry R9 billion.
Both episodes pushed poultry producers into loss, resulting in the closure of businesses and huge job losses.
Above: FairPlay founder Francois Baird
Now a different aspect of the tariff issue has been brought up – consumers. It was raised by a retired AMIE CEO, David Wolpert. He claimed that consumers were being forgotten as the rights and wrongs of tariffs were debated.
Not so, said FairPlay founder Francois Baird in a replying letter in Business Day.
Consumers were “at the heart of the business strategy of South Africa’s poultry producers,” he said.
“For decades they have provided the market with high-quality affordable chicken, which accounts for more than 60% of all meat consumed in South Africa.”
Importers had a different business strategy – they bought dumped chicken at low prices, which sold at far higher market prices, making fat profits while consumers saw no benefits.
Importers were challenging anti-dumping duties and general tariffs which helped prevent a flood of predatory imports that would threaten local producers and local jobs.
“That is not consumer-focused. It is self-serving, to the detriment of consumers and national food security,” Baird said.
This article first appeared in the FairPlay Newsletter 15 October 2026 / Volume 26 / Edition 38. Find it here.
Photo: Valeria Boltneva on Pexels
