LETTER: FairPlay is not opposed to imports

In his cheerleading for chicken importers Anthony Peerie conveniently overlooks some salient facts (“FairPlay not so fair”, October 27).

First, FairPlay is not opposed to imports — fairly priced, unsubsidised and fair competition for an efficient local poultry industry. What we have opposed consistently are dumped imports, sold below the cost of production or below what the product is sold for in the producer country.

Add to that unfairly priced or illegal imports, where products are under-declared on arrival or declared under the wrong tariff code to reduce or evade import tariffs. No trade proponent can in all conscience support predatory trade practices such as dumping or unfair or illegal trade.

If Peerie is in that category he should be joining us in opposing them, not hurling insults. For the past five years FairPlay has consistently said dumping is the issue because it kills local jobs, but importers and their acolytes choose not to listen, instead accusing us of opposing all imports.

Four countries — Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US — have been found guilty of dumping chicken in SA. Five more — Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Portugal and Spain — are the subject of a dumping investigation after a finding by the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) that there is prima facie evidence of dumping, to which they have to answer.

For all nine countries the dumping issue involves only bone-in chicken portions, mainly leg quarters, which are popular in SA but are unwanted surplus for producers focusing on premium-priced breast meat. Peerie thinks these do not compete with local products. The investigation by Itac is still under way, so his attack on the trade regulator is unseemly.

Peerie also thinks no jobs have been created by the Poultry Master Plan. Uninformed again. There has been expansion in the poultry and grain industries, and the department of trade, industry & competition announced in July that this had so far created more than 2,000 jobs.

Exports are more or less stagnant. This requires work by all master plan signatories, especially meat importers and exporters. If they want increased export business, they should do something serious about it.

Francois Baird, Founder, FairPlay

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