South African meat sector backs new plan for trade resilience
AMIE urges faster regional deals to boost beef exportsSouth Africa's Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) welcomed a joint announcement by Ministers Tau and Steenhuisen outlining Government’s “Plan A” for long-term trade resilience and competitiveness, in particular, the emphasis on market diversification and the commitment to protecting jobs and rural livelihoods, which are critical for the South Africa’s meat export industry, according to a press release from the organisation.
AMIE is the apex body for the South African meat import and export industry. Its core mandate is to pursue global access for SA beef, poultry, lamb and pork products.
For the beef export sector, and South Africa’s broader red meat industry, this is an important opportunity to build long-term growth. To fully realise this potential, AMIE has highlighted that key operational gaps must be addressed urgently, to facilitate access to new and existing export market opportunities. These include the urgent need for the Government to conclude standing regionalisation agreements, for both exports and imports, with its trade partners. These agreements limit trade restrictions to disease affected areas and safeguard supply chain continuity when disease outbreaks occur. For the meat export sector to flourish, South Africa also needs to strengthen its sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capabilities and capacity.
“Diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) are likely to remain part of our reality into the future, but they do not have to halt all exports. Many of our trading partners are open to sourcing beef from areas in our country not affected by FMD, provided regionalisation agreements are already in place," said AMIE CEO Imameleng Mothebe. "These agreements need to be concluded before outbreaks occur to ensure trade continuity and efficiency. Timely, proactive communication from the Department of Agriculture will help secure these arrangements more efficiently."
“AMIE, with our deep sector expertise and established global network - including strong relationships with industry organisations in SA’s key export markets - stands ready to support Government’s trade objectives," she added.
Mothebe said AMIE believes that stronger, more regular engagement between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, alongside industry, will be key to unlocking the country’s meat export potential.