Higher chicken prices and jobs bloodbath will follow trade protection, says association

Hiking tariffs on poultry imports from the US and Brazil will lead to further job losses in SA and an increase in chicken prices, an organisation representing local meat importers and exporters warned on Wednesday.

“Considering the weak economy, high unemployment and the increasingly straitened circumstances that most South Africans find themselves in, this would be terrible news for consumers,” Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) CEO Paul Matthew said.