SA should not lower standards for US - SA poultry
Cape Town – South Africa should not lower its standards below international norms to accommodate US poultry imports, the SA Poultry Association (Sapa) said on Wednesday.
“Lowering our standards to below international norms, having different standards for the US compared to all other importers and local producers as well as putting our human and animal health at risk in the process, is simply a price not worth paying,” Sapa CEO Kevin Lovell said in a statement.
On Monday, Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies informed reporters of the possible suspension of SA from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) and said that the move would affect the agricultural sector.
Salmonella testing
Lovell told Fin24 that the salmonella testing protocol used by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries was the main issue under dispute.