SA wants to replace imported chicken meat with its own, says deputy minister

“South Africa no longer wants to import chicken meat from other countries and local companies must produce more chicken meat.”

By Carien Kruger, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad

This statement is not, as usual, that of a South African broiler producer, but rather that of Zuko Godlimpi, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.

Godlimpi said at the recent signing of the second phase of the poultry master plan that the government’s goal is to ensure that chicken meat is produced by a group of South Africans that is as diverse as possible.

“We want large commercial South African farmers to work shoulder to shoulder with small-scale and rural farmers to supply the country with chicken meat,” he said in a statement issued by his department.

The success of new black poultry farmers was celebrated on the day and, according to Godlimpi, it shows how much progress can be made when large commercial farmers – with the support of the state and its agencies – work together with small-scale farmers.

“This is a model that needs to be replicated in all 52 district municipalities in the country.”

The first phase, which was signed by a wide group of stakeholders at the end of 2019, has resulted in the broiler industry, which had been in decline due to the dumping of imported chicken meat, being turned around into one that is growing while also achieving significant transformation successes.

When asked for comment, Izaak Breitenbach, CEO of the broiler organisation of the South African Poultry Association (SAPA), said it was important for SAPA members that the large-scale vaccination of chickens in phase two of the master plan gets underway, that certain cuts of chicken meat are exempted from VAT and that the current trade measures on imported chicken meat are maintained.

Godlimpi also referred to other objectives in the second phase, such as promoting growth through the export of cooked meat, strengthening local demand and improving biosecurity to increase the sustainability of local production.

Also read: Poultry farmers celebrated as Master Plan enters Phase 2

‘Industry to be proud of’

Breitenbach said the broiler industry had suffered greatly in the ten years before 2019 and had declined every year as dumped imported chicken meat flooded the market.

The International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) imposed anti-dumping tariffs on chicken meat from nine countries.

From 2019 to 2025, more than R2.1 billion was invested in the industry.

“Production has increased from slaughtering 19.7 million chickens per week to 2 million per week. This is an increase of 26%,” Breitenbach said.

This progress has occurred despite high raw material costs, a disastrous bird flu outbreak in 2023, infrastructure problems relating to ports, roads, water and electricity supply, and dysfunctional municipalities.

According to him, the industry, with a value of R74 billion, is the largest in agriculture and employs more than 110 000 people across the extended value chain.

Wageningen University & Research found in its 2025 competitiveness study that the South African poultry industry is highly competitive. It has produced chicken meat at a lower cost than the European Union for the past 13 years and its meat has now also become cheaper than that of the United States. Only Brazil produces cheaper chicken meat than South Africa.

According to the study, South African broiler producers have the lowest feed conversion ratio of all the participating countries.

“The industry is now one to be proud of,” Breitenbach said.

The signatories to phase two of the master plan are representatives of the South African Poultry Association, the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters, the Association for Emerging Black Importers and Exporters of South Africa, the Food and Allied Workers Union, Astral Foods, Rainbow Chicken, Country Bird Holdings, Daybreak Foods and the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa.