The poultry industry has been trying for some time now to have the government cancel the United States’ quota of 72 000 tons of duty-free chicken imports annually.
Compiled by Michael Acott
The quota was imposed on us in 2015 by US negotiators as a condition of renewing the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) for a further 10 years. As AGOA provided considerable benefits for other South African manufacturing and agricultural sectors accessing the US market, the poultry industry “took one for the team”, as a colleague put it.
However, the quota was conditional on those other benefits continuing.
If the benefits were lost, the quota should fall away.
South Africa’s AGOA benefits have been nullified since April last year, when President Donald Trump imposed 30% tariffs on South Africa. Even his subsequent lower tariff rate of 10% reduces those benefits to zero.
However, the quota has continued, allowing the US to dump bone-in chicken portions in South Africa, because the antidumping duties of R9.40/kg that should apply are still being waived.
SAPA has sent letters to Trade Minister Parks Tau requesting that the government stop issuing rebate permits for US imports, but to no avail.
SAPA has since applied to the High Court to compel Minister Tau to request the Minister of Finance to suspend the AGOA rebate for as long as any benefits under the AGOA agreement to South Africa have been suspended.
The government has given notice that it intends to oppose the application, so it could be a long process.
The AGOA treaty lapsed in September last year, but the United States has since renewed it retrospective to that date and effective until the end of this year.
Bone-in chicken imports from the US have recently been between 1 000 and 3 000 tons per month – all of it free of antidumping duties.
Source: Poultry Bulletin (Issue 31) April/May 2026
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