The prospects for a turnaround in the local chicken industry's fortunes remain slim as it reels from the dual impact of imports - particularly from Brazil, which accounts for about 60% - and bird flu, which broke out in South Africa in June last year. Imports from EU countries other than Denmark were banned last year when bird flu was reported in Europe. "At the moment we are not importing from the EU countries, except from Denmark, and we are still importing from Brazil," Mpho Maja, national director for animal health at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said this week. According to the South Africa Poultry Association, Brazil is the leading source of poultry imports. Imports last year from Brazil were 244564 tons, a significant increase from 168666 tons in 2014. That EU imports have been banned offers cold comfort for the chicken industry, which has been forced to cut jobs and consolidate operations in an effort to remain in operation. In March last year, RCL ...
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