David Wolpert (Chicken imports no threat, June 15) is up to his old tricks again, arguing on the basis of a false premise and selective facts. The importer’s premise this time is that the local chicken industry is flourishing and therefore cannot be under threat from imports. For this he cites the recent good interim results of Astral, the country’s largest chicken producer. He does not quote, from the same results, Astral’s 2018 outlook for "continued high levels of poultry imports, especially from the USA and Brazil, equivalent to over 40% of local production". He does not mention that the Astral presentation cited its 2017 warning that a "continued high level of poultry imports, with weak tariff protection, has allowed foreign produced poultry to become entrenched in the local market, leading to a contraction in production". The industry is shrinking, thousands of jobs are being lost, imports are heading towards half of the local market, but Wolpert and his fellow importers say i...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.